Took my mom to Cornish Pasty for her birthday on 9/11. She had her first ever Irish Car Bomb. She teased me and said "Are you worried I'm going to get drunk and embarrass you?"
I said "No Mom, I get annoyed by you, but I don't get embarrassed of you."
She smiled and said "I like that!"

Of course, I certainly remember being embarrassed of my parents when I was younger. I suppose that started changing once I began seeing my parents as their own people and not just as my parents. There's this period early in your life where parents are like an extension of your own personality, like all those other feelings that can't be controlled. We feel like parents to our parents, in a way. Maybe it's practice for the future.

In the middle of my life's journey, I found myself in need of a scheme. Something to keep me out of trouble. I could walk more, I suppose. I can probably tolerate it. Find something around the house to tinker with. That's a thing people do; alter their homes. Oh, that's right, I was going to pare down the amount of needless crap. Or do something to my closet. I forget.

I'm sure it will come to me.