Upcoming Life Maps Courses:

Myers-Briggs Personality Type Course:

     5:00pm to 8:30pm
     $90 per person (small group setting)
     Offered Wednesday, September 10th and Wednesday, October 8th.

Women’s Personality Goal Setting Course:

     9:00am to 2:00pm
     $425 per person (small group setting)
     15 hour course beings Saturday, September 6th

To reserve your seat in a specific course, please mail a check payable to:
Life Maps
Beth Abel
1008 Mopac Circle #200
Austin, TX 78746

Life Maps office re-opens August 26th. Remember, a well lit path has life direction. Mark your calendar for August 26th to set your free consultation appointment and begin your journey of a goal directed life.

"Recreation-Listening-Hospitality. What do these 3 things have in common?"

Put them together and they become the most important life skill of all - mental health.

Over the past ten years of hiking the Appalachian Trail (AT) in mileage sections, I've enjoyed the great variety of flora, fauna and also people along the way. My trained observation skills have led me to the conclusion that most long-distance hikers are experiencing some life transition that the hiking experience helps them work through. Why would a long-distance hike help a person arrive at a life transition resolution? I think it is these three elements needed for mental health that are so present in daily trail life.

Recreation - A mental health formaula for recreation means consistently practicing times of non-competitive activity that have no intrinsic purpose. This form of recreation is simply done for the joy it brings one. By doing it, the mind, body and soul relaxes. If you've ever gone to summer camp as a child and didn't want to return home, that's this kind of recreation experience. Long-distance hikers are experiencing a large dose of this form of recreation.

Listening - Listening is the lost art of the American culture. There are two types of listening and both happen frequently in trail life. There's a community of hikers taking time for quality communication as they congregate or pass one another up and down the trail. Listening to each other's story, getting trail condition information are all essentials to safety in the wilderness. For mental health in normal life, we need to listen more accurately and we too will find more safety in our relationships by trusting others more wisely. Spend time listening to nature sounds and away from the noise of humanity. When you do so, you'll trust your place in the universe.But, there's also the mental health of listening to one's self. It's a tremendous help to have a safe place inside one's head where good listening and self talk occur. A solo long-distance hiker spends approximately four months in the company of himself on the AT from Georgia to Maine. If his mental companionship is one of listening with self respect, then life transitions can be resolved. What a marvelous gift to keep on giving oneself - listening that breeds self trust and maturing.

Hospitality - The last ingredient in this life skill recipe is hospitality. God did not create us as individual islands on an open sea in regards to human relationships. We were created to belong in relationship and commit to healthy relationships. Through healthy relationships many of our needs are met. Practicing hospitality to all we meet is a life skill that fills each day with purpose and meaning. This life skill is like the phrase "practice random acts of kindness". My Mom always said "you don't have to like someone but you need to be kind". This life truth is a two-way street because it's best practiced when one accepts opportunities to be the recipient as well. In the long-distance hiking community receiving hospitality is known as "trail magic". Another hiker or even a local town-person gives unrequested support to your journey and it is important to receive this gift graciously. Just a few days ago, hikers came upon an ice chest filled with cold drinks - trail magic left in the woods by a resident nearby. Giving and receiving hospitality helps us remember that life is not all about me.

The life skill of mental health:
Recreation - consistently spend time doing activities that bring you joy and renewal.
Listening - Tune into your place in the universe by listening for safe relationships and listening to yourself.
Hospitality - Practice giving and receivng kindness to those you meet each day and you will be reminded that "it is not all about me".

Remember - a well lit path has life direction. Beth Abel, Trail Name "Spirit", Life Maps

AT NEWS UPDATE on July 25th
The goal of hiking the Maine section of the AT is halfway complete. Wildlife sightings continue to be abundant. Least favorite feature of the Maine AT are the numerous bogs and swampy areas. The area is unusually wet this season and many trail bridges are flooded and closed. Favorite feature: The mountain top vistas that look out into total wilderness - no roads, no utility lines, just countless ponds, lakes and mountains. The next section we hike will include Sugarloaf Mountain, a famous New England ski area. We are seeing lots of people on the AT each day, on average six or seven. The hikers come from all walks of life and from all over the world. Watch for photos to be posted at the website soon.