The first time I had heard about the Bridge the Gap Campaign, it was  from my mom about a month ago. She asked me to be a part of this revolution with her and 198 other women, to try and change the way people think about age. At her recommendation, I went to take a look at her friend Catherine’s site to learn more.

I had no idea what to expect, but any program, idea, or especially a campaign to promote knocking down barriers of discrimination and misunderstanding appeals to me. I believe that each of us is unique and has something special to offer to each other and that together we can change the world.

Catherine Grace is the inspiration behind this campaign. She rallied to get 100 like minded Millennials and 100 Midlifers to show solidarity and use our voices as a platform for change. Of course my mom chose me to pair with because together, the two of us are perfect for showing the world that age difference means nothing at all. My Mom and I have been the best of friends since pretty much, forever!

I have so much respect and admiration for my Mom. Two years ago I gave her the idea to start her own Instagram and then to go all the way out of her comfort zone and put her voice out into the world with her own website. I knew that she has so much to offer the world with her creativity and positivity. She was hesitant and scared at first, because she thought that nobody would want to hear what she had to say. That there were too many bloggers out there anyway. I pushed her forward with positive reinforcement and encouragement.

She started: http://www.musingsofkathleen.com in the spring of this year and is so proud of her accomplishments, and so am I for her. She is a positive role model for Millennials and Midlifers to embrace life with a positive attitude and spiritual practices like meditation and yoga. She is proof to me that living a full life with integrity, at whatever age you find yourself, is key. Self esteem and caring about what energy you put out into the world is crucial. I have never met a more loving, loyal, positive person in my life.

My Mom exemplifies all the strengths and qualities that I aspire to have in my life. She has always put her love of her family first. She was a single working Mom to me and my brother when I was 7 and he was 10 years old. I remember her coming home after working all day to have a healthy sit down dinner and was there to ask us about our day. She was always there for us no matter what. We never felt judged with anything we may have been going through. The advice she gave us was to always “remember who we are and to act accordingly.” To value ourselves and never forget how much we both are loved. To this day, that has been my personal foundation that I go back to whenever I get overwhelmed with life. Even though I’m a Millennial and have an entire lifetime to learn my own lessons on what life means to me, I know I’ll always have a strong solid foundation that my Mom and family have always offered to me.

I’ve learned that Millennials and Midlifers really are not so different after all. For me, I look forward to being the kind of woman that my Mom has become. She shares with me how much I remind her of the way she used to be. The two of us are both the past and the future combined. I am so thankful for this.

When I get overwhelmed about circumstances in my life, my Mom reminds me that no matter what, I can always do whatever I set out to do. She never gives up. Ever. I think she is where I learned my perseverance from. I always try and focus on the positive blessings that I do have in my life, not what I don’t.

Last year when I was criminally harassed by a member of the green beauty community, my Mom supported me in fighting back to stop the injustice.  She and my family literally paid thousands of dollars to fly to California Superior Court to support me. I won the case against this blogger and was awarded monetary compensation.

The lesson I learned from this is if you have a family as supporting as mine is, and you never give up,  you can pretty much get through any hardship that life will pass your way. And I learned the lesson of strength of character.

I agreed to be a part of this campaign because I’m a fighter. I fight for injustice any chance I can. With my voice on social media, I let people know that you have to be strong. You have to break down stereotypes any chance you get. You need to fight for justice and inequality. People can try and discredit you and even embarrass you. What you do is you get active. You openly share your experiences and the lessons you’ve learned in your life and you pass on that knowledge to others that may be suffering.

I don’t see that the two generations are really that different at all. To me, it seems like the Midlifers can teach Millennials so much. You guys have been there and done that. I’m always open to learning what you have to teach. I don’t see any “gap”, probably because there never has been one in my family. We really are stronger together. 🙏🏻👌🏻💪🏻

https://catherinegraceo.com/bridging-gap-2017/