Every day in Hilton Head I ride my pink bike to the beach.  Every woman over 30 should have a pink bike.

I am twelve again, pedaling down the mossy tree-lined road.

No cares in the world.  Just the goal of getting to the beach while the tide is low.  I pass the alligator whose lived in the same lagoon for as long as anyone can remember

and I smile at the prehistoric-looking birds sitting on the rocks.

I coast down the wooden beach path and park my bike in the sand.

Watching the shrimp boat bobbing up and down, I take a moment to breathe and be thankful.

Never in a hurry, I eventually resume my ride, splashing through the tide pools and avoiding the somewhat scary crabs that have washed onto shore.

The wind at my back, I pedal and pedal. I scan the waves for dolphins and jumping fish and marvel at the birds diving into the water.

The day is perfect.

When the tide creeps up, I ride home on my pink bike. Low tide will come again tomorrow.

Beach Ride originally appeared in Adventures of an Allergic Foodie.