Today I was a wild child.

I woke up today, on the last day of this adventure, with nothing but time and a fixed determination to see the ocean. 

Half an hour after embarking, I came across a main street in a small town. If there's  one thing I can't resist, it's a main street in a small town. So, I found a parking space and set off on foot. It was chilly and blustery as small oceanside towns are prone to be, so I spent the first few minutes of my walk trying to keep my hair tucked in place while simultaneously holding my skirt down in a battle against the invasive gusts of wind.

And then, suddenly, it just didn't matter.

I thought, "Enough of this." I untied my hair and let it run free into happy tangles and wavy tomfoolery. I let go of my skirt and decided I couldn't be that much worse for the wear if this small ocean town saw a little leg or thought I was an improper hippie child.

I found a sushi place with a fantastic lunch special and I lunched with myself. I didn't bother to run my fingers through my windswept hair. I used the chopsticks and didn't even ask for a fork, even though I am really bad at chopsticks. I muscled through, and, it turns out I am not so bad at chopsticks after all. I put a whole piece of California roll in my mouth, even if it wasn't ladylike because my mouth is just never big enough for the California roll.

I walked into a bookstore and I bought a children's book, as I am prone to do on my travels. I talked to the owner about her pet birds behind the counter, named Bridget and Tilly. I asked her, "How do I get to the ocean?"

"Take a right turn and keep going," she said. And so I went. 

Today was a particularly rare and delicious kind of happy.