Where to go next?

I have never had much time for the question of where to go next, partly I suppose because it has always been set out - for the last seven years I have been in a relationship with someone I always took for granted was 'the one' (despite not believing in 'the one' as such) and where to go next in life and work was planned out - a series of goals I was working towards one stage at a time. Now that I have no relationship and work has no immediate goal I must admit to being at a loss as to where I go from here.

Many of my friends have suggested that I should be thinking about the person I want to be with next - making a 'list' of things, a mental checklist for any potential date. One friend even went as far as to suggest that I should then highlight the absolutely essential qualities in any man. After I had finished choking on my drink I ventured the opinion that making a list was the stupidest thing I had ever heard in my life, only to find several open mouthed people looking at me - apparently creating this 'list' is something every girl does - I must be missing that gene along with the one that makes girls dream about weddings and white dresses.

The thing is that while I have a vague plan for work and life in general I have never had a plan for relationships. I follow my heart not my head in general and go wherever it leads me. My heart right now is telling me that it has moved on and is ready to have someone new around. As for that someone new, well I suppose in reality I am not too short of options - just options that I would actually want to take up. As usual I suppose,  I want what I cannot have - or who I cannot have.  So the only tentative plan I have in that respect for now is not to get too wrapped up in someone who I cannot have, not to jump into anything too quickly, not to commit too much, and just to see how things go.

In the meantime where to go next in work has been decided for me and time is slowly ticking down until I will be moving on. This I find very unsettling, I enjoy where I am and have no particular desire to move on, in fact I would probably say the exact opposite.

In general then I guess the question of where to go next is answered for me - I have little to no control over where my heart leads me and little to no control over where work sends me. Planning for any of this would perhaps involve so many lists of potential wants and needs that I would bury myself in a pile of A3 sheets.

No, definitely best to live life day by day and see where it takes me....for now at least.