quix·ot·ic   
1.      Caught up in the romance of noble deeds and the pursuit of unreachable goals; idealistic without regard to practicality.
2.      Capricious; impulsive; unrealistic.
3.      Romantic to extravagance; absurdly chivalric; apt to be deluded.
 
Example: “Her behavior may have been quixotic, but not malicious”
 
riptide
1.      A stretch of turbulent water in the sea.
2.      A  strong, narrow surface current that flows rapidly away from the shore, returning the water carried landward by waves.