I had jury duty today, for the first time ever. I ended up getting dismissed early - but the 2 hours I spent sitting around still meant that I got about 200 pages read. There were quite a few other people reading (I spotted a James Patterson, Gone Girl, Catch-22, and a John Grisham), plus a lot of people on tablets or phones. But what I found completely mystifying were the people who just sat there.
Sat there.
For HOURS.
One lady just sat with her purse in her lap and her hands folded on her purse, staring off into space. A few people were shamelessly people-watching other jurors (ahem, I like to think I'm sneakier, but hey, maybe not), and a couple closed their eyes.
Maybe it's the lifelong bookworm in me, but I just do not understand. I mean, who would choose to just sit in a chair for two hours when you could be using that time to learn something or entertain yourself?
Who knows, maybe they normally are really busy at work, and they just wanted to veg out. Or maybe they're really zen people who like to pray or meditate in the middle of a bustling courthouse. I still find it incredibly strange though.
What do YOU do when you have to wait?
