Ah, jury duty. I see it as my responsibility, as a person who has greatly benefited from the rights I enjoy as an American citizen–but that doesn’t mean I have to be thrilled by the prospect. 🙂 There is, as some of you mentioned, a great deal of waiting involved–one sits around a great deal, waits to be assigned a number, troops in and out of courtrooms and jury rooms, listens to instructions, and waits some more. Since I had my Kindle with me, I was pretty okay with the process. I read a book about a man who went to heaven and came back, checked my email and periodically reminded myself that I am blessed to live in this country.
Probably the biggest challenge with jury duty is the being-on-call part of it. I wasn’t called in today, but who knows about tomorrow? Every night, for two weeks, I am to call the courthouse and listen to the recording. If my Group number is listed, I will go in the next day. I’m planning to ask to be excused as of the 17th, since I’m scheduled to leave for Gettysburg the following day. We shall see. 🙂
I’ve found a new book to love: “Gratitude & Trust–Six Affirmations That Will Change Your Life”, by Paul Williams (the very famous songwriter, think “Rainbow Connection” and “Evergreen”) and Tracey Jackson. I’m so impressed with the audiobook that I’ve ordered copies in hardcover as well. I’ve also downloaded several new books from audible.com–several novels by Marilynne Robinson–“Gilead”, “Home”, and “Housekeeping”. I’ve heard great things about this writer and I’m looking forward to the listens. (Not suitable for jury duty, of course–even when evidence isn’t being presented, one has to be ready to LISTEN at all times.) I chose a number of self-help titles, too. (Sometimes people are curious about my passion for self-help books. Do I feel inferior? The answer: No–BUT there is always more things to learn, and some of them have the power to change a person’s entire life. Why wouldn’t I want to learn new and better ways to do things???)
Which brings me to my gratitude journal. I’ve been keeping it faithfully, night and morning, for a little over a month now. Is the process powerful? Incredibly so. Oprah claims the process is the single best thing she does for herself–and I agree. We, Oprah and I, can rant on about the magic of gratitude until the proverbial cows come home–but you won’t know for sure until you try it yourself. 🙂
PS…From Jenni– Linda forgot to announce that this week’s contest begins today 🙂 Leave a comment below and you’ll be entered to win an autographed copy of The Marriage Charm. Two winners will be randomly chosen and notified next week 🙂
About Linda
The daughter of a town marshal, Linda Lael Miller is a #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of more than 100 historical and contemporary novels, most of which reflect her love of the West.
Raised in Northport, Washington, Linda pursued her wanderlust, living in London and Arizona and traveling the world before returning to the state of her birth to settle down on a horse property outside Spokane.
