Making it Through Jury Duty with Social Anxiety

I Haven't written a blog in a couple days, but real life has had my attention a bit too much. Yesterday I had jury duty and while it turned out to be pretty easy, my head built it up into a lot. I had originally been scheduled for last summer, but we have one car and it wasn't running at that time. So they deferred me.

I copped a couple more deferments out of it until yesterday when I had to just go and get it over with. MInd you I rarely leave the house other than to go to the doctor or run to the store. And usually my wife is with me. Yesterday she dropped me off because she had her own court appearances as an attorney to go to.

I get to the Jury area and there are maybe 500 people there lined up outside. It really was like a cattle call. For the next 2 hours they shuffled us around from place to place like cattle. When a jury panel would come up they'd call 50 to 80 names for that court. I never got called the first few times. I actually fell asleep a few times waiting in my chair. I think the woman next to me was greatly annoyed by this, but what can you do? I usually don't even wake up until 8 or 9 am and here I Had to BE there and around people by 8am.

I took out my tablet and finally did some art while waiting. I titled this one Jury Duty as its where I was as I did it.

No sooner had I completed this when they called my name. By then it was around 11 or so and they herded us down the hall for our court. Then we got there and told us the court didn't need jurors after all and we were free to go. So I called my wife and she came and picked me up at which time I got home and crashed out for over an hour.

It turned out to be a whole lot of nothing, but the build up was exhausting. I knew about this all week long and had been dreading it and felt physically sick to my stomach the night before. As always when I worry so much about something it turns out to be nothing. I guess its my bipolar/autism combo causing my brain to go off and running.

The good thing is, I got it over with, it turned out to be easy and they can't summon me again for three years at least. Hopefully longer. Maybe I need to get out more or maybe I'm just doomed to this internal hell of my mind. I guess its not a bad thing. Cool art comes from it, but I'd like to spare myself the gut wrenching anxiety in between if possible.

So, that was my day yesterday. I didn't get any pictures because we were told not to. Was nothing to photograph anyway other than the old courthouse and mobs of people bumping into each other. Thankfully today I have nowhere to be, so staying inside, catching up on work and art. Thank you everyone for tuning in to my little adventure.