Nap Attack

Hello All! As my first post, I offer this:

This evening, after work, I was unwinding for a moment before my next event (rehearsal for yet another cheesy Christmas conert series), so I turned on the T.V. TLC was featuring a program titled "Nap Attack" which dealt with the complexities of narcolepsy. As I was watching, I couldn't help but feel sympathy for individuals that cope with this condition. I can't imagine what it must be like to be afraid to laugh for fear of falling uncontrollably to the ground; regularly waking at night, paralyzed by nighttime hallucinations; or having the constant feeling of not having slept for days. A woman was interviewed and was shown falling asleep at the bus station, missing her bus several times, and waking with the fear that perhaps her bag had been taken.

With this said, I also couldn't help but laugh at the following scene. Several people, I believe 10 in total, were sitting around a table in a meeting in room at a YMCA somewhere in England. (I started watching too late to determine the town.) These individuals were all diagnosed with narcolepsy and are members of an organization created to increase awareness of this condition. Despite the sympathy I was feeling and the truly sad situation I was witnessing, I couldn't help but laugh at the fact that a third of the members in the meeting room were sleeping at any given moment. A vote to move forward on a given initiative was taking place and they had to awaken the aforementioned woman and quickly summarize so she could place her vote. They also require that three people take notes in the event that one or two of them fall asleep. Don't get me wrong, I really do feel for these people, but wouldn't it make sense to perhaps seek out individuals without narcolepsy to attend and assist in the meetings and organization of the awareness group. I commend TLC for airing the program and I learned a lot, but I also thank TLC for a few good laughs during my much cherished break.