On a main street by my place, there's a guy that's been in the median by one of the main intersections for the past week.

He's parked his bike on the divider there, and paces back and forth, holding a bunch of newspapers that he sometimes waves about. He's usually talking, but I've never been able to make out what he's saying.

He's also attached a hand-colored street sign to the intersection light pole, which duplicates the "No Left Turn, No U-Turn" sign found earlier in the intersection.

The bike is old, with a front basket filled with debris, and he's dressed in shabby clothing, and he paces with the intensity of mental illness.

And I wonder what was the journey that got him to that median last week. How did he get to most likely homelessness and some importance attached to making people extra sure of the legalities of turns in that intersection?

And how much would it take for anyone to get to that place? What could push a person there?

How far am I down that path?

I suspect it's a shorter trip than any of us would like to admit.