Dixie Technical College Message

Spring Shots

Last January, I was sitting in my office; it was cold outside—very cold. It was also cloudy. The night before, it had snowed in Dixie. All of the mountains that surround our valley were beautiful and white. The cold of winter seemed like a metaphor for the COVID winter that had gone on far too long. In the midst of my shivering thoughts, a cheery little tune began playing through my mind from the musical Annie: “The sun will come out tomorrow.”

And so it has. The wonderful sunshine of Dixie is returning, and one tomorrow after another, it will become stronger and more intense, warming us from the inside out and reminding us that springtime is glorious and that hope springs eternal.

Besides vegetables and flowers sprouting up everywhere, the vaccine is more widely available. This may be the single most important blessing of spring this year!

Have you ever wanted, dreamed about, or yearned for shots this much? The ability to get a couple of loaded “little pokes” (as they say in the world of medicine) does so much more than protect us from COVID. These shots create a mental turning point, one that says we can finally be finished with COVID and masks and distancing and isolation and loneliness and the fear that came and settled in for far too long.

A turning point is just that: a point from which to change direction. All of the hardships of COVID don’t magically disappear in a poof, and craziness isn’t instantly replaced with “back to normal.” We’re going to have to do some serious spring cleaning. It’s time to get to work on the residual effects of the wily virus. I believe that isolation, distancing, and fear have left us with some holes in our hearts, and we’re desperate to have them filled. Each of us needs a plan; you need one that works for you, and I need one that works for me.

Without a crystal ball, I can’t say when, but I can say that as soon as possible, we must reach out to one another. Connect. Reconnect. Assure. Reassure. As human beings, we are social. We need connection to survive, and we’ve been without it far too long.

When it’s safe, I may plan a neighborhood party and burn the masks! I’m going to hug my friends and loved ones long and tight. I’ll hold their hands, look into their eyes, and watch their lips form words. I’ll share, listen, and have meaningful conversations. I’m going to care—right up close and personal. I’ll invite my friends to break bread together with full-fledged dinner parties. And I’ll sing—loudly! (Ok, so that would be scary.) And when the time is right, I’m going to apply for the welding program at Dixie Tech. I’ve wanted to learn that skill for a long time now.

What have you always wanted to do? Make a plan. Do it! If that something happens to be going back to school, come see us at Dixie Tech. Learn something new. Connect to a new part of yourself as you develop new skills, make new friends, and possibly land a great new job in the process! Why not? It’s spring!

Kelle Stephens President of Dixie Technical College