An MRI recently revealed that The Idiot is afflicted with severe central spinal stenosis, a degenerative nerve disorder caused primarily by aging that has impacted his ability to walk or swim for more than five minutes without incurring intolerable pain.

It’s difficult to imagine that just a few months ago he was blithely MedTrekking over thirty kilometers a day and had no problem with a one-mile open water swim.

After six weeks of almost total physical inactivity, what does The Idiot do in lieu of exercise while determining a long-term medical or mystical plan of treatment to rebound from an affliction that seems to impact many of his friends and acquaintances of a certain age?

1) He discusses his Idiot-ic medical situation on a daily basis with a supportive team of doctors and therapists who are exploring a number of avenues before opting for surgery.

Discussing his inner (leg) feelings with Dr. Trudi Pratt, one of his chiropractors.
(Photo: Marc Beauchamp)

2) He frequently joins a local food critic in Redding, CA, to sample various restaurants.

The Idiot is forced to eat a variety of dishes, including a Strawberry Belgian Waffle, and constantly pose for photographs at the instruction of Redding Record Searchlight food reviewer Marc Beauchamp.
(Photo: Marc Beauchamp)

3) He entertains out-of-town visitors.

The Idiot entertains college friends who drop into Redding, CA, en route to Oregon with a sense of déjà vu.
(Photo: Kevin Devine)

4) He catches up on “The New Yorker” magazine, devours books and reads about Egypt where he hopes to resume the MedTrek at the Gaza border sometime next year.

He’s re-reading Lawrence Durrell’s four novels set in Alexandria, Egypt, during the 1940s

5) He makes ridiculous bets with family members.

The Idiot won a family bet that he could completely finish a two-pound Black Angus top sirloin steak called “The Sheriff.”
(Photo: Tryg Stratte)

6) He gets most of his current exercise by posing for pictures on his balcony.

The Idiot is posing on his balcony above Redding, CA, wearing a different shirt every day.
(Photo: Kevin Devine)

7) He’s gotten caught up on movies (“Spotlight” is the best of late) and television series. This week The Idiot is bingeing on “Ray Donovan,” “The Affair,” “Homeland” and avidly watched the best-reality-show-on-television…The Republican Debate.

A total news junkie, The Idiot follows the comedic US presidential primary charade with enthusiasm and amusement.
(Photo: Charlie Neibergall/AP)

8) He thinks meditative thoughts.

The Idiot swoons when he recalls walking without too much pain on the Pacific Ocean in August.
(Photo: Marc Beauchamp)

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About Joel

Joel Stratte-McClure has been a global trekker since the 1970s. He lived in France for over 30 years, working as a journalist, before he turned his attention to a unique life-time-project of walking the shores of the Mediterranean. The first 4,401 kilometers are explored in his inspirational and entertaining first book "The Idiot and the Odyssey: Walking the Mediterranean." The next 4,401 kilometers are covered in the gods-filled sequel, "The Idiot and the Odyssey II: Myth, Madness and Magic on the Mediterranean,” published on Valentine's Day 2013. The last 4,401 kilometers will be discussed in the last book of the trilogy currently entitled "The Idiot and the Odyssey III: Alexander the Great Walks the Mediterranean."