Huffington Magazine Issue 41 | Page 34

COURTESY OF STACEY KRAMER the prep for my insignificant short talk. When I walked onto the stage, the screens were blank, and they remained that way. I wanted to share the positive side of a tough ordeal, and maybe inspire others to be able to see bad experiences as growth opportunities. I am very aware that not every cloud has a silver lining. I get it. I don’t even know anyone who has experienced what I went through without some lingering physical disability, at best. I lost a friend and colleague last spring. His diagnosis was way worse than mine. He was not so lucky. He left behind a beautiful wife and two young children. I doubt they feel that losing him was a growth opportunity. But maybe, too, there are some unexpected and unwanted things in life that will bring you down if you let them, and instead it’s possible to shift your perspective and see the positives. I still feel lucky, even more so, and I wouldn’t now MORE ON TED WEEKENDS LIFE LESSONS FROM A CAT SCAN HUFFINGTON 03.24.13 STACEY KRAMER Voices THE COST OF MY CATASTROPHE A CAT scan of Kramer’s brain tumor. choose to not have the experience that I did. I know that the next time I may not be so lucky, but until that time comes I will strive to embrace all the positives in my life and try not to dwell on the negatives. Stacey Kramer is the founder of BrandPlay, a boutique naming firm in Boulder, Colo.  A selection of the week’s related blogs HEADLINES TO VIEW BLOGS ABOUT THIS WEEK’S THEME CAN TRAUMA REALLY BE A GIFT? TO HELL AND BACK WITH GIFTS ‘THE SILENT ARTILLERY OF TIME’