Just because

Just because we have to wear our clothes to bed at night in order to know we've put everything on in the morning...
Just because we get sleepy/fall asleep in the middle of a work day even though we went to bed early...
Just because we hate winter because we can never get warm...
Just because we are unable to participate in conversation when we first get up in the morning...
Just because we have to hurry to find a place to lie/fall down in the middle of a store...
Just because we can't tell if it is warmer/cooler outside than it is inside so we don't open the windows to let in warm/cool air...
Just because we can't tell jokes because we blow the punchline...
Just because we look like our face is sliding off in the middle of a dinner party...
Just because we find dreams as interesting or more interesting than daily life...
Just because we lose our place in the middle of a lecture...
Just because we slur our words even though we have not been drinking alcohol...
Just because we drive but don't remember how we got from here to there...
Just because can't sit through plays/concerts/movies awake...
Just because our voice quavers...
Just because we are sleepy during the day but wide awake at 1 AM and 2:30 AM and 4 AM...
Just because we have a staccato sound to our voice...
Just because we put something away but can't remember doing it or where we put the object...
Just because we cannot find the energy/stamina to both work and socialize...
Just because there are days when our eyes don't focus and days when they do...
Just because we can't stand up when we should...
Just because we wake up feeling exhausted...
Just because we sometimes have to sleep for 36 hours straight...
Just because we take stimulants and antidepressants and hypnotics and still have trouble with sleep and with being awake...
Just because we get disoriented sometimes...
Just because it's easier to write our thoughts than to say them...
Just because we just want to lie on the floor in the middle of grocery shopping...
Just because day to day chores are sometimes exhausting...
Just because we feel like a zombie...
Just because we need change but too much change results in cataplexy...
Just because our handwriting changes from readable to gibberish...
Just because we often seem to be in a fog...
Just because we are unable to accommodate changes in plans...
Just because we have to dig down deep to find energy...
Just because we are tired of being tired...
Just because doctors think we are just looking for drugs...
Just because we start dreaming even before we fall asleep and are still in the middle of a dream when we awaken...
Just because we stand up from lying in bed and realize that our body did not stand up too...
Just because our hands shake...
Just because we have a long recovery time after traveling or having houseguests...

...does not mean that we are lazy! We have narcolepsy/cataplexy!

- Jacqueline, 57, Portland, Maine, USA