“The Twilight Zone” was a popular television show when I was growing up. it aired from 1959 to 1964. Other Twilight Zone series appeared throughout the years, but the first series was the best. Of the various episodes episode 86, “Kick the Can” was and still is my favorite. “Kick the Can” aired on February 9, 1962. I was 11 years old, and I still clearly remember the plot.
The story takes place in Sunnyvale Rest Home. The residents are aging. Outside one can hear children playing kick the can. One night all the residents, except one, decide to go outside and play kick the can. At first you hear their old voices laughing and struggling to play the game. It isn’t long before those voices begin to sound young and soon all the residents, except the one who did not go out and play, became kids again. The resident who stayed behind realized he had missed the magical moment. The concept of the episode is that when we start thinking of ourselves as old, that is what makes us old.
Adult life can wear us down and we forget to play. Work always seems to take precedence and after years of hard work we see ourselves as old.
There is a place one can be a kid again. Camp Sea Gull and Camp Seafarer are YMCA camps located on the coast of North Carolina. Camp Sea Gull is the boy’s camp. Camp Seafarer is for girls. Both camps teach skills that support success long after summer camp has ended. Campers return summer after summer and make lifelong friends and connections from their shared camp experiences.
The mission statement says everything about the camps.
“We teach campers to do the right thing, even when no one is watching.”
Camp Sea Gull and Camp Seafarer are more than summer camps for kids. Camp Sea Gull, supported by Camp Seafarer, frequently host sailing regattas for various sailboat classes. One of the favorites is the USODA (United States Optimist Dinghy Association) which has hosted several regattas at the camp. Dora and I have had the privilege to stay at Camp Sea Gull on four occasions. We participated in three USODA championships and one Sunfish World championship as members of the race committee team.
Competitors and support personnel stay on site. Everyone participates in the camp experience. They stay in the cabins, eat camp food, play camp games, and participate in extracurricular activities. Race committee is usually put up in London Quarters, which is a group of cabins located on the property. The staff at Camp Sea Gull/Camp Seafarer is always amazing. Equally amazing are the many regular volunteers who attended camp as kids and return to give back to the camp.
One of many examples of staff and volunteers going the extra mile occurred one year when Dora was in a wheelchair. The Camp Seafarer Executive Director gave Dora use her golf cart to get back and forth. Volunteers made sure she got on and off the committee boat safely and looked after her throughout the regatta. This is only one example of many that one can find with the Camp Sea Gull/Seafarer experience. That spirit of helpfulness and generosity exists throughout the camp.
If you are lucky enough to visit Camp Sea Gull, open your heart to the experience. Listen carefully and you will hear the laughter and excitement as kids play and learn. If you listen close enough you may hear the laughter of kids and adults intermingle. Sometimes, like magic, the adult laughter will become one with the kids.
For more information about Camp Seafarer and Camp Sea Gull you can visit their website.
https://www.seagull-seafarer.org
Camp Seagull
