Ezra and I like to watch NatGeo (National Geographic Channel) occasionally during the day. Today happened to be a particularly rainy day so it provided me with the perfect excuse not to go outside and complete the work that was calling for me. Then...I saw it. It was preview for a show called "Taboo" and cameras were following around this man who kept crashing to the ground. He was taking a stroll through the park, down he went. Walking down a city block, fell over. Bowling, over and down. Then we see the money shot: he's in his kitchen doing the dishes wearing a HELMET. Oh sweet and merciful Lord. It's a narcoleptic. We've got a narcoleptic up in here.
Ordinarily I wouldn't have paid it any mind, but I was recently informed that I too, have narcolepsy. This didn't change my life in any major way since I have been dealing with the symptoms for around twenty years, but it made me more aware of narcolepsy in the media. Speaking of which: both my husband AND my father thought that narcolepsy meant, umm, having relations with those who are no longer with us. (See NECROPHILIA. Very different). It does take a certain amount of getting used to when one is assigned yet another label to wear, but I moved on pretty quickly. Until I saw that stupid "Taboo" preview. That's a pretty extreme case, friends. Most narcolepsy is characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness, and another symptom called cataplexy. Cataplexy is essentially muscle failure when faced with a strong emotional response. I don't have that. Yet. Regardless, I felt a little bad that when I watched that preview I immediately judged that his life must be sort of pathetic. A pretty hasty evaluation coming from a narcoleptic fibromite. I, of all people, should realize how great life is, and can be, right?
A good friend once told me this story, which I'm sure has been told many times: A man was praying to God that his burdens would go away. He felt that he had been given more problems in life than the average person, and it wasn't fair. He was sure that God was being hard on him and he wanted Him to lighten up. So God replied, "There is a cave on the other side of the forest. In that cave you will find many crosses, each complete with their own unique set of burdens. Just this once, I will allow you to take your cross to this cave, shop through the others, and trade yours in for one that you believe will make your life easier and more enjoyable." The man began to praise God for his mercy and excitedly made the pillage to the cave. Once there, he began to pick through crosses, reading their respective burdens that had been branded into the wood. He spent many hours there, searching for a suitable cross to trade for his own. He could find none he would rather bear. Finally, he collected the cross he had come with and headed back into the forest. It was then that he truly began to praise God.
And just to show I have a sense of humor, I invite you to view the following clip. Fainting Goats
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