Last night I dreamt about Ivanka Trump. Yes, Ivanka Trump. I was sitting at a conference table with her and her Father, the 45th President while he was signing some papers. Yup...more Executive Orders. Ivanka all of a sudden starts crying, I mean weeping. She proceeded to share with me how it has been hard for her and if we, the public, only knew what she really goes through on a day to day basis from our continuous criticism. I then take her hand and held space for her while she continued to express her feelings in the midst of sobbing. Then I began to hug to her and apologize for all my judgement and criticism towards her and her actions. This dream felt so real I felt empathy towards her. I felt it mostly when I awakened from the dream.
Why the dream? The day before I was applauding a friend’s Facebook post about another negative jab towards the First Daughter. This dream was a reminder for me to check in with my judgement and criticism of others. I never really know what people in the public eye are going through behind closed doors. The Universe always reminds me, in this case through a vivid dream, of the practice of compassion. To have compassion for people we disagree with or who we think we dislike is a great learning opportunity.