“We All Walk a Beautiful Mile”
How do you walk beautifully when you’ve experienced so much ugliness? How do you deal with the broken pieces and painful memories of seeing your mom badly beaten by the man you once called your father? Well, Ardre Orie decided she wasn’t going to let that situation defeat her. She decided, like many have, to keep moving forward and walk a beautiful journey anyway. Beauty goes beyond our physical attributes; much of our beauty is captured through our ability to rise above challenges and pursue a beautiful life despite the ugliness we endure along the way.
“We all walk a beautiful mile.”
This past weekend, I had the wonderful opportunity to be a part of and participate in the first annual The Beautiful Mile, which was held at the Historic Old 4th Ward Park in Atlanta, GA. The purpose of The 
Beautiful Mile was to empower women to embrace their self-beauty and defy the standards of beauty that are often misrepresented by the media. There were a host of vendors, performances and awards given to local women committed to making a difference within their communities, followed by a one-mile walk.
One of my favorite parts of The Beautiful Mile included a panel
of successful, diverse women who engaged in different topics: self-love and personal examples of beauty, the negative influence of mass media. They even shared ideas on what we can do to help each other embrace our individual beauty. It was the youngest panelist of them all, little Miss Navia Robinson (co-star on the hit TV show Being Mary Jane) who really made an impact. Even at her young age, she spoke about the importance of being free to be who we are and loving ourselves. She reminded us of our God-given purpose which is to help and serve others.
As if the panel wasn’t enough, Ardre Orie, the Founder and Spokeswoman, delivered a powerful and inspiring speech. It was through her story that I learned about her, her experiences as child and how she overcame obstacles in her life. I learned why she was so inspired to work as hard as she had and how she accomplished so much despite what she experienced as a child. “I wanted to show my mother what she had invested in was not in vain…You can make it through your brokenness. I worked to empower others. It wasn’t about me. We all have a journey. We all walk a beautiful mile…it’s a part of the way things evolve.”
It’s in our brokenness where we really garner the strength we need.
Although I can’t relate to the domestic violence specifically, I can relate with Ardre in that I, too, was determined to keep pushing despite what I experienced as a child considering the fact I didn’t have a father in my home. Only someone who has experienced neglect can truly understand how it feels to be discarded or unwanted. I didn’t know what it felt like to be loved by a man. I didn’t know how it felt to have a man around to show me how real men are supposed to treat women. All I learned from him was disappointment and broken promises.
I had to be real with myself and admit that my dad was the first man to ever break my heart. Quite naturally, it wasn’t a surprise when I tried to search for love in all the wrong places. I later realized that in order for anyone to love me I had to first love myself. I couldn’t merely rely on my physical features to get what I wanted. At the end of the day, beauty starts within and if I didn’t learn how to love me first, then I never would’ve learned to embrace true love from someone else.
Despite everything, I, like Ardre, was determined to make my mother proud. I was determined I was not going to be merely a “statistic” as many assumed considering I came from a single-parent home. I was committed to going the extra mile when necessary to prove that I could make it even though I didn’t have a father around. I was committed accomplishing my goals and becoming successful. Everything I went through then prepared me for now and what I know I was called to do. Just like
You can have an ugly past but still have a beautiful future.
Most of us, in some way or another, have dealt with ugly experiences in our past whether as children, teenagers or even adults. Remember, however, there is purpose in your pain and power in your purpose. We experience heartache, make mistakes, witness domestic violence, experience mental abuse, go through relationship issues, experience broken families. People tell us we’ll never make it or they question our goals and dreams. People tell us we’re not beautiful, we’re too big or we’re too small, but we still persevere and become the women God intended for us to be. We still succeed, we still soar and we still slay and show our beauty despite the ugliness! It’s in our brokenness where we really garner the strength and toughness we need to overcome, and it’s also in our brokenness where God shows Himself and helps us live through it.
It’s easy to get caught up in the world’s view of beauty and forget about the natural beauty God gave us as His children. It’s easy to think I need to change every single part of my body just so I can fit the standards based on what society thinks I should like. But The Beautiful Mile reminded me of how much more important it is to love ourselves from within, embrace our beauty and differences as women and show the world there are no limits when it comes to being beautiful.
People may judge you based on who you used to be but don’t let it define or change who you’re supposed to be. Instead of fretting over the past and what did happen, focus on what could happen. You can have an ugly past but still have a beautiful future. Keep moving forward, my dear sister, and keep walking your beautiful mile.
