I have always wanted to join one of Deidri Uys’ Crochet-a-longs, so when I saw this one, I knew I needed to jump in. Decided to see what I could do with some yarn from my stash

The name, well, when I started the blanket I saw that Deidri wanted to call the blanket Anna Begins, a song by the Counting Crows. This prompted some reflection because the Counting Crows was one of my favourite bands when I was growing up, and Colorblind was one of my favourite songs.

This fostered a desire to look back at my life, to see, and understand why, I felt the way I did before and experience the gratitude that I feel for the context that allowed me to make sense of it all.

Looking at the lyrics of the song, for me, they are an ode to growth, development and acceptance. About learning to accept yourself for who you are, and about those tentative steps into independence. Where you learn how to express yourself, to stand on your own, to find your voice, one which reflects how you truly feel, and not simply the culture and society into which you were born into.

I think that the beauty of this song lies in its nudge to overcome your fear, about not being afraid of being vulnerable, of letting yourself be seen by others, because, in my experience, it’s vulnerability that’s born of a deeper honesty that gives others the chance to see and love you, not simply your mind and body, but the eternal part of you. And, for me, it’s taking the steps to those life transforming moments of watching someone love you that this song seems to capture so perfectly.

“It is up to other people to show you your worth. They are the witnesses to it. It is not enough to love yourself, as people often think. “Well, I must love myself or I cannot love another.” It is watching other people love you that makes the real difference. Then you will know what is happening. That is what melts down fear and shame. You watch someone else loving you, and you know they know how fallible you are. They do not care, so your being fallible must not be too important.” Enduring happiness, Marshall Vian Summers