Driving carriages on a downtown Saturday night, you see a lot of different things. Here are just a few from this past weekend:

• Two youngsters stepping from a minivan as the carriage passes, the young boy nudging his sister and declaring loudly, “That one’s a Clydesdale!” (I drive a Percheron.)
• Later, two teenagers walking by, one telling his friend that that big, white draft horse is a Belgian. (Still a Percheron.)
• An older couple crossing the street to come take a carriage ride as a large sedan passes in the same lane they are walking. A loud bang (the man kicked the car in passing to make a point to the car’s driver) and the car stops as two black guys sporting gold chains hop out and confront the man. An altercation ensues, with the promise of physical violence, before a third-party intervention to push everyone on their way. (For the record, both the car’s driver and the pedestrian were at fault — the driver for not giving right-of-way and the pedestrian for kicking the car in the first place).
• A definite lack of Christmas spirit, as demonstrated by numerous horn honkings, fingers flipped, tossing of profanities, and so on.

Just a few of the things seen in the downtown part of a major mid-west city. The best of people and the worst of people, laid out for all to see. It is an interesting investigation into the psychology and spirituality of the general populace, just being able to sit back and observe mannerisms, triggers, and reactions. And for someone with a Master’s degree in psychology, it’s a truly fascinating field.