Jury Duty (But That's Not The Point)

February 23, 2026

I got called for jury duty this morning.

So I did what I do.

Showed up early. Checked in.

Got my paperwork, a juror name tag, and a pen.

I walked into the courtroom looking for a seat.

And immediately saw a bunch of familiar faces.

I made eye contact and smiled — because that’s just who I am.

Some smiled back warmly.

Some gave polite nods.

A couple looked… tight.

And some avoided me all together.

And there it was again.

That undercurrent of — we have feelings about you.

It’s interesting —

this shift from being widely embraced to being…

more complicated in people’s minds.

I don’t know what anyone was actually thinking.

Maybe I’m projecting.

Maybe I’m just more aware than I used to be.

But I am pretty good at reading energy.

So I sat down, filled out my paperwork, and let my brain wander.

Mostly to crochet and school board stuff,

And back to crochet.

Where is my yarn order, anyway?

About ten minutes later the judge came out and said one of the key people in the trial had a medical emergency. Trial canceled.

But call tomorrow.

Because maybe — emphasis on maybe — it will resume Wednesday.

We were dismissed.

Everyone popped up quickly.

People eager to move on with their day.

I stayed seated.

Partly to let the crowd clear.

Partly because I didn’t feel like navigating small talk in a room with all that weird energy.

And I’m really glad I did.

Because just as the last few people were leaving, this gorgeous, stylish young woman came straight toward me — big smile, arms open — and hugged me.

She was so excited to see me.

She’s a young entrepreneur in the beauty industry.

I worked with her a few years ago during my business development days at Tongass Federal Credit Union. She was a vendor at my Saturday markets. She was in the business book club I led.

Our exchange was quick. Easy. Real.

No weirdness.

No edge.

No competitive undercurrent.

Just two women who genuinely respect each other.

It completely shifted the tone of my morning.

And it didn’t stop there.

The rest of the day unfolded into more unexpected connections.

Conversations with powerhouse women I haven’t seen in months. One had even attended the Global Women’s Leadership event I spoke at a couple weeks ago. She said wonderful things about my talk.

It was all a much needed reminder.

You never really know what impact you leave behind you.

The workshop you led.

The Saturday market conversations.

The book club discussions.

The way you believed in someone before they fully believed in themselves.

Years pass.

And then one random morning, in a place you didn’t expect, someone runs up to hug you because something you did mattered to them.

Not loudly.

Not publicly.

Not for applause.

It just mattered.

And that kind of impact means so much to me.