There are ways to save personal time by using technology. This leads me to ask, where does a person’s saved time get stored so it can be used later? My phone is always asking me to buy storage space in the cloud and I wonder about saving my time there. Benjamin Franklin said lost time is never found again, but he didn’t know in the 1700s about our phones using a cloud for storage.

Have you ever noticed how the things you admire most become the central focus of your time? Your activities reflect what appeals most to you. Franklin admired science, so he conducted experiments and shared his theories. He also admired the print industry and became the publisher of the Pennsylvania Gazette. He admired America and is the only Founding Father to sign four official documents which shaped our country: the Declaration of Independence, Treaty of Alliance with France, Treaty of Paris (ending the American Revolution) and Constitution.

February is when we spend more time in our community because the weather is conducive to fires in the fireplace. Have you heard about the Sweetheart Ball? It is Feb. 11 at Shining Mountain Golf Course. The event is hosted by HtN Hope Lives Here and you can get your tickets at https://www.htntc.org/sweetheart-ball-2022/. Your attendance at this event supports people in need and your time is well-spent.

Franklin had a lot to say about time, but he also said, “Change is the only constant in life. One’s ability to adapt to those changes will determine your success.” Woodland Park’s art walk created in December 2020 is adapting to change. The first walk for 2023 is Feb. 26. The NEW Walk for Art gives each walker the opportunity to win pieces of art. A walking card is provided and when a person visits each location on the card their name is entered into a drawing. You have until Sept. 1 to complete the card in full. The walks are from noon to 3 p.m. on Feb. 26, May 28, June 25, July 30 and Aug. 27. Pick up your walking card(s) beginning Feb. 20 at Reserve Our Gallery or in the Gallery’s rack-card display at the Greater Woodland Park Chamber of Commerce.

Research for this column has shown time cannot be collected and stored in a cloud. Franklin thought publishing was a storage platform for enhancing the future. This was a good plan. He invented the wheel (not literally) and I’m happy to roll with it. Your time can be given back to nonprofit organizations and I’m happy to publish how you do that. Your storage platform for time awaits! Reach out and let’s get your time stored and recorded.

Gayle Gross works with nonprofits through the Nonprofit Cooperative of Teller County, which meets at 9 a.m. on the second Tuesday of each month at Reserve Our Gallery, 400 W. Midland Ave, Suite 120, Woodland Park. She opened Reserve Our Gallery in May 2021. The Gallery hosts fundraisers for nonprofits and features 19 local artists. Contact Gross at iwantto@soarwithnetworkfundraising.org or 719-233-9902 to be part of a future column or learn more about the Nonprofit Cooperative of Teller County.

Gayle Gross