December's number line

At St. Olaf I met a person studying 'number lines'. Number lines, as she described them, are how we visualize numbers as we count in our heads. For example my number line starts low on the picture then jumps high at five then jumps again and plateaus from 12 to 20. The researcher said our visions of numbers can depend on how we initially learned to recognize numbers as a child, a more spatial idea then an abstract idea. Same goes for months of the year. The end of December in my head is always the peak on the loop that is my 'year line'. Maybe because it is always so busy and I have a million things to remember but it might also be a residual elevated happiness from school's winter break. As the holidays approach, I hope you all have a wonderful time with family and friends and once those 'year lines' settle down into the cold months of January and February consider warming your heart with a family or pet portrait from Lintu Art.