Whether it’s the top ten reasons couples stay together, the top ten reasons couples break up, the top five reasons he isn’t in to you, or the top five reasons you aren’t in to him, if it’s on your mind (or not), there’s a list for it.

I like, love, or tolerate lists as much as the next person –more or less—my acceptance of lists depends on the content, my mood, the language, tone, style…well, the list of things I like or dislike about lists is extensive: I’ll condense it here.

Why People (A broad general category to describe those who think like me, and those who do not) like lists:

1.      Concise, manageable, chunks of information: easy to read.

2.      They are every where

3.      There is a list for everything

4.      They are easy to remember

5.      They are easy to forget

Lists are how we remember what to pick up from the market, what we like about a person, what we are looking for in a car. They are compact guidelines made in haste, in earnest or in vain. 

I plot the tangibles: career, finances, vacations with children, qualities I am looking for in a man.  The intangibles: qualities I am looking for in a mate or future spouse, I can neither plot, imagine or list. I’m not that far in my pursuit of me to consider a pursuit of we.

So, for now I create lists of places I would like to visit: Top five places to go before you turn 40; types of people to date: Top ten traits for a date; experiences to have: Top five things to do before considering saying I do.

But tomorrow, I will create more mature lists: You know you are ready to consider a serious relationship when…

And the day after that I will create one more: Top ten reasons not to create another top ten reasons list…