I'm looking forward to 2010. I had a very good 2009 (a few bumps here and there, some major, most minor), so I see no reason for 2010 to be any different. As I reflect back on this past year, I realize that I didn't make any resolutions for 2009. Like I said, I had a very good year, but could it have been better?

January is named after the Roman god Janus, a two-faced deity who looked after gates and doorways. Comings and goings. Most of us, as we pass through these, tend to turn round slightly to close them, thus leaving where ever we came from behind us to focus on what is now in front of us. In other words,you're planning on staying awhile. Leave the gate open, the visit is short-term, probably a few minutes, then you go back to where you came from. That is a New Year resolution to me. Opening a door to something else, closing it on another.

So what happens if I don't make a resolution? If I make that decision to not make changes for "the better"? If I don't close doors, will the ghosts of the past move in, become squatters, and never want to leave? Maybe. Maybe not. If I make a resolution, will the ghosts of the future be willing to open doors, invite me in, let me stay awhile, then see me off with warm wishes and good fortune? Maybe. Maybe not.

Resolutions are funny things. We make them with good intentions, but we also make them based on what we have overindulged in from the past. I like chocolate, but there is no way resolving to limit my intake to special occasions is going to stick. Resolutions should be realistic, attainable, simple. They should feel good doing them as well as making them. And we shouldn't feel stressed if we have a hard time keeping them. I once made a resolution to join a gym. Getting in shape is probably #1 on a lot of people's lists for the new year. Now there was no way I was keeping that resolution, and I should have known better. I hate exercise. I see it as monotonous, boring. I'll swim, ride a bike, go for a walk. Join a gym? Never going to happen, and I felt like a chump for both making it and not keeping it.

2009 is coming to an end, and again I ask, could it have been better had I made resolutions? Honestly, no. I like the direction my life is going. I have 2 great kids. Friends who help me through those bumps in the road of life. I'm employed. My house is comfortable and welcoming. I am on a path that I like, and I like who I am. Make resolutions? Sure. Why not? I may actually follow some of them. But I also realize that I am a simple person. I try to stay away from life drama, but as the saying goes,"Shit happens". So yes, I will make New Year's Resolutions. They won't be complicated, unrealistic, life-altering or earth- shattering. They will be simple, tongue-in-cheek, pliable and alterable. The kind of resolutions that suit me and the way I live my life.

Without further ado, here are my "new" New Year's Resolutions for 2010.

1) Stop wearing black so much. This will be a hard one, for the simple reason my day job has a dress code, and it's black. Black tops. Black pants. I can wear coloured shoes, but most of my shoes are black. If I dress up for an evening on the town, I wear black. My coats are black. My boots are black. See a pattern. When I need a splash of colour, I wear a beige or pink bra. So daring.

2) When I do my grocery shopping, I'm going to start in the dairy aisle instead of the produce aisle. That will certainly shake things up.

3) Spend more time on Facebook. If I'm going to waste my time social networking, I would rather do it there than on Twitter.

4) Get over my George Clooney crush and move on. To someone more attainable, like Steve Buscemi.

5) Clean my fish tank and get more fish. The last eight I had all died. This is me doing my part to support our economy.

6) Open up an account on Twitter. Everyone makes at least one resolution they know they won't keep. This is mine.

7) Discover a new favourite something or other. I feel so left out when I see people jump on some new trend, or hear them talking about their newest new toy that is so new, no one knows about it yet, or they've just fallen in love with (insert whatever). So, this year I'm going to discover a $20 burger at the newest, hottest restaurant, and Tweet about every overpriced bite.

8) Fold laundry as soon as it comes out of the dryer. I can already hear the laughter. Might as well iron things too while I'm at it.

9) Eat more bread. I'm a carb junkie, and I admit it freely. I love pasta, rice, potatoes, and especially bread. Different types of bread. Pita, naan, bagels, English muffins, even Wonder bread. Bread with butter, peanut butter, jam, honey, molasses........ I think you get the picture. I have a friend who loves bread with his meals. He's on to a good thing. So to hell with this low-carb, no-carb baloney (which is also good on bread), I'm going to indulge. If I need to lighten up, I'll eat a rice cake. That's practically like eating air.

10) My last resolution is to not do all the standard resolutions. I'm not going to go on a diet, I'm not going to lose 20 lbs by May, I'm not going to quit smoking, quit drinking or quit eating chocolate. I'm leaving those ones to the uninspired.

Kimberley Gurevitch special for Toronto News 24