Alan Arkema is just one of the many people living comfortably at The Addington Place. He has been a resident in the facility for over 5 years, moving in during August of 2017.
“I quickly adapted to life here. I enjoy it.”
Every day is close to the same, with the main changing factor being the menu for lunch and dinner.
“First breakfast, then exercises, then whatever until lunch. The ‘whatever’ includes reading, writing, building the kits I’ve been given, and maybe a nap. Each afternoon is the same as the mornings.”
Despite the repetition between day to day activities, Alan always sets aside time for having fun.
“A few times a week I join a team to play Wii bowling.”
Though his routines may seem boring to others, they’re perfect for Alan.
“As a senior citizen, I enjoy the routine. I know what to expect when and where.”
Living at Addington also comes with additional privileges, besides the predictability of what goes on daily.
“I also enjoy the lack of being responsible for cooking my food, cleaning my room, and doing my laundry. I enjoy the food menus. They are varied and well prepared, and served to us by a team of gracious young people.”
Staying there provides the time and space for Alan to do more “whatever,” and the familiarity of knowing there will always be fish on Fridays (his favorites are cod and cooked shrimp.) Even so, constantly being around other residents poses some challenges. Alan shares that one difficulty is to,
“fit in with the whole group.”
Each resident is different, so acclimating to each personality is no easy task. To combat the issue of connecting with others, Alan chooses to,
“ Welcome new residents, and lend a hand when necessary.”
After staying there for some time, he has gotten to know the others well. Though Alan enjoys a staycation, it’s also nice to get out of the house and do something.
“I attend my church service regularly and am part of a discussion group in my church.”
His journey with Christ has taken him to many cities, states, and even another country. More than just an attendee of church, Alan is also an ordained minister.
“I served mostly small congregations. I started in a country church in South Dakota. Then one in northwest Iowa. I also served in a church on Long Island and another in Patterson, New Jersey.”
Since this role was so important, he was able to preach at multiple churches and made sure to schedule accordingly for each one.
“I spent five years serving four churches in Australia. I was a circuit pastor for three small churches that were quite far from each other. It required me to lead three services each Sunday, but I did not consider it a burden.”
For Alan, becoming a minister was an everlasting dream that eventually turned into an enjoyable reality.
“I always wanted to be one. It started at a very young age. I remember wanting to be one since I was five years old.”
His passion for being able to spread and teach the word of the gospel shined brightly later in life. Though being a minister seemed to be a distant dream when he was younger, he was able to accomplish it. As a child, Alan relished in this pleasant thought, however, his childhood involved more activities than just daydreaming.
“My favorite memories are snow sledding in the winter and playing with our little fox terrier dog named Trixie.”
In the small central town of Sully, Iowa, Alan fought to stay afloat between his other eleven siblings. Still, he was able to survive with the help of someone who understood what it was like to be stuck in the middle.
“My sister June and I are the middle two of the twelve. We had our differences, but we never ‘came to blows’ with each other. We used to get together quite often as grownups.”
Granted the fact that Alan isn’t a kid anymore, he still completes certain routines that make him feel eighteen.
“Exercising is the activity that makes me feel the best. Exercising each day keeps me limber and keeps me from becoming flabby.”
Staying active helps with mobility and lets Alan do more “whatever”, including the upkeep of the resident garden in the courtyard and fun building projects in the garage. More than just physically, Alan has to stay spry mentally too.
“I try to stay engaged by challenging myself to do some writing each day.”
As a matter of fact, writing has been another big factor in Alan’s life, since a continuous goal for him was to write a book. This wild wish turned into reality after attending a conference that finally gave him the push to pick up the project.
“A break-out session I attended was led by an author who said, ‘If you want to write a book, just write a title for it. The book will come.”
This small piece of advice helped Alan finally begin to craft his sporadic writing into a continuous story.
“One day I sat at my computer and wrote ‘The Letter.’ That turned into my first book.”
Since publishing The Letter, Alan has also released another book called Silent Sam and Other Stories. Being able to create things makes his life enjoyable. Besides writing books and keeping up with his relationship with God, Alan also enjoys painting.
“Back in 2005 I bought a case that contained all sorts of items for painting, drawing, and sketching. I found a class that was held in a local Guilda’s House. That started my painting.”
Since then, Alan has been progressing within his art. Currently, the resident art area walls are covered in his work, and so is the outside of the entrance to his room. While he is fond of painting, he also finds pleasure in doing building kits. From humbly beginning with a model ship, Alan has been able to complete various kits, including one of the Taj Mahal without instructions.
“It sat in its box for a number of months in our arts and crafts room. It was a 3D puzzle and it looked daunting to me. Finally, I decided to take on the project. It took me over a period of two months to finish it.”
In order to keep up with it all, he shares some advice.
“Be kind to each other. We all have differences. They stand out more in some than in others, but we each have our quirks and oddities.”
At Addington, Alan welcomes others no matter their differences, and he hopes for others to do the same in different areas. He also finds it important to make use of every opportunity.
“Study well. It may not seem to be worth it, but it is. Do it for yourself. Accept the guidance of your teachers and staff.”
The other life lesson that he finds strikingly important is self-discovery.
“Mark Twain once said that the two most important days of your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why. That is an excellent observation. Socrates said ‘Know yourself. The unexamined life is not worth living.”
He has shown this through his expression in different mediums, including art and writing.
Often a misconception of older people is that they care less about life because they’ve lived through a lot of it, but Alan explains how that is simply not true.
“Old people need the companionship of some younger people. We don’t lose interest in life just because we are old. You will find most of us are interested in your life and you will find most of us interesting to talk to.”
If you enjoyed this story, consider reading Alan’s newest work.
“The latest book I had published is titled Silent Sam and Other Stories. Silent Sam is a savant who is a master poker player. He is shot during a game. A young man resolves to bring justice for Sam. The story is about how he does this.”
If you can do that, visit your own grandparents!!!!! And read stories from the MHS Auroran with them!!!
