These are tough times for everyone, and retired Boomers are no exception. Many of us wonder when we'll be able to truly emerge from forced hibernation without risking our health and well-being. When will we be able to travel again... to go to a movie theatre or a concert... to hug our grandchildren?

One thing is for certain: When it comes to maintaining our resilience, attitude is everything. A positive attitude makes a huge difference -- not a Pollyanna-ish attitude that is naively cheery, but a positive attitude grounded in pragmatism and the belief that we will endure. We used to call it "keeping your head on straight."

Heidi Herman expresses it in a different but equally positive way: "On with the Butter!" It's an old Icelandic expression she learned from her mom that essentially means "forge ahead" or "carry on." It's also the title of Heidi's new book, which was inspired by her mother's unfailingly positive attitude about life -- she kept tirelessly adventuring until her passing last year at age 94.

Intended for Boomers and retirees, On With The Butter: Spread More Living onto Everyday Life is a happy, lively book written by someone who realizes that life "is far too long to be squandered on unhappiness or boredom." That's why, when Heidi retired, "instead of buying a rocking chair, I learned to fly." Heidi means that literally... she did learn to fly!

In the book are fifteen chapters with such uplifting titles as "Just Say Yes," "Walk on the Wild Side" and "Take the Scenic Route." Each chapter conveys Heidi's can-do attitude about life and often shares anecdotes about or wisdom from her mother. At the close of a chapter, Heidi includes a section called "The Challenge," which encourages the reader to embrace a particular area of living. Every chapter also offers a checklist chock full of easy-to-follow ideas to take action and break out of the sameness mold. The ideas range from little to big, obvious to not-so-obvious, but they are always positive and inspiring.

This is a time when all of us need to "spread more living onto everyday life," as Heidi enthusiastically suggests in her book. A positive attitude and a disposition oriented toward succeeding is what we really need to endure.