a pivotal moment in my life

I was pretty happy with my life, my wife was not.

What she saw was a college dropout who spent much time in the mountains doing foolish things.

She wanted me to work full time as a computer programmer or go back to college and finish my degree.

We compromised sort of.

I started taking classes at UC Berkeley.

I took several classes, but the only one I can remember was a sailing class taught in Berkeley Marina.

Once again I fell in love and began a life-long affair with the limitless, omnipotent Pacific Ocean.

When my class was over. I want to buy a sailboat.

My wife said this was the single stupidest idea she had ever heard in her entire life.

She accused me of being irresponsible and she told me that I lacked ambition.

She kicked me out and then she divorced me.

This was a pivotal moment in my life（这老哥嘴角上扬了，同时台下一片笑声。）.

My family was still mad at me for not going to medical school. And now my wife was divorcing me because I lacked ambition.

It looked like a recurrence of the same old problem.

Once again, I was unable to live up to the expectations of others.

But this time I was pretty happy with my life. I was not disappointed in myself for failing to be the person they thought I should be.

Their dreams and my dreams were different.

I would never confuse the two of them again.

I had discovered things I loved: the Sierras , Yosemite, the Pacfic Ocean.

These natural wonders brought me great joy and happiness and would for the rest of my life.

I had an interesting job programming computers and more money than I needed.

For the first time, I was certain that I was going to survive in this world.

A huge burden of fear had been lifed. I'll never forget that moment. It was a time for rejoicing.

I bought the sailboat and lived onboard just me and my cat in Berkeley Marina.

In the words of James Joyce: I was alone, and young and willful and unheeded, but I was happy and near to the wild heart of life.