Rich Conversations: 029. Maggie Aravena

Our first Coronavirus conversation during Chicago’s stay-at-home order. Maggie reflects on adjusting to working remotely and life with more time with her self. Her own wisdom helps guide her through this time.

How are you doing during the coronavirus situation?

I am okay. I’m going. They are going. It is what it is.

How do you normally spend your time in Chicago?

I have my dog here now. I take her outside in the morning. I come back to my apartment and get ready for the day. Then I work to work because I’m pretty close by. Then after nine hours at work I come home and hang out. For fun, I walk quite a bit. I go to parks. I’m a landscape architect. Hang out with friends and going out to restaurants and bars.

What’s your daily routine like social distancing?

My job is pretty social. We collaborate quite a bit in person. I thought it was going to be a lot harder to get up in the morning and do work. It’s kind of like sporadic work. I’m kind of just working throughout the day and on the weekends. Work bleeds into every part of the day now.

What’s something new you’re doing or feeling that surprised you?

I’m working out, but I’m dancing again. I found some videos online and that’s my workout. Dancing and the music helps lift my spirit and get my blood pumping. It gets me in a better state of mind. Something I’m feeling, it’s crazy when you’re forced to be alone, all the things that come up as a person emotionally. It’s not the first time obviously, but there’s no avoiding it. I’ve realized how much general growth I’ve done. To be confronted by that.

What music have you been listening to since social distancing?

There’s a couple. For my productive time, I can’t listen to stuff with a lot of words. I listen to Tash Sultana. I listen to a lot of Latin music. I can’t listen to sad stuff right now.

What are you most excited to experience again in the city?

Like literally just walking around and seeing people. The hustle and bustle of the city. People enjoying the lake and the parks.

What’s one restaurant you’d love to just go visit and eat at right now?

I don’t know if I have one. I don’t go out to restaurants specifically. I mostly just want to go to my friend’s house and hang out and eat.

Describe the best day of your life.

I don’t know if I have one. There was one just because of what the day meant. The day I moved to Chicago. It was the culmination of two years. Buying a one-way ticket. Another was visiting my family last year in California and we went to Lake Tahoe at a friend’s cabin. We laughed like we hadn’t laughed in years. We just had a ton of fun.

What’s your favorite travel experience?

It’s mainly been for conferences. But it’s always been to a new city. I’ve been able to do a lot of cool stuff with people I’ve met throughout the years. We get to talk about all the things we love, which is landscape architecture. Just getting to do that with a bunch of people.

What’s the most memorable scent in your life? Sound?

Probably my family home. I don’t know. It just smells like my home.

The rain. Sometimes I just hear it and it sounds different wherever you are, but it’s the same.

What’s the most influential book you ever read? Film watched?

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion. It’s a book about grief. It’s not supposed to be uplifting, but it kind of is. It’s a memoir about dealing with the loss of her husband.

I don’t watch a lot of movies. I’m not a movie buff. I have so many friends that quote movies left and right, but I don’t absorb them that way.

What’s something about you that few people know or understand? 

Probably how much I struggle with insecurities and being confident in my work and the leadership roles that I’m in. It takes a ton of work to be assertive and preparation beforehand. It’s not something that comes out naturally.

Can you remember a time you decided the kind of person you were going to be?

Everyday. Generally speaking. One step at a time. Just do the next right thing, instead of taking it all at once. It’s too much or too daunting. I think that approach has helped me with this experience right now.

After this pandemic situation passes, what’s a positive result that you imagine could emerge?

I think just generally for people to be more aware of the effect they have. Like that network of social contact. I’ve been thinking about democracy in general and the effects for society. Why does disease spread so quickly? If you take that to democracy and what one person can do. You really get to see that impact in an epidemic like this. Being okay with being with yourself. Being present and just being. This has kind of forced everyone to slow down.