Jumping Jacks

I just found a tiny notebook from a holiday in Tuscany five years ago. Inside, there’s a drawing I made to show how I see the year—not as a line or a calendar, but as a lumpy, potato-shaped ring that loops around me and moves counterclockwise. I even asked my friends to draw how they see time.

Back then, I didn’t know this had a name. It’s called time-space synesthesia. It means some people naturally picture time—like months, weeks, or years—as shapes in space. These shapes are different for everyone, but they’re always consistent for the person who sees them. It’s just how the brain organizes abstract ideas in a more visual, almost physical way.