James M. Berklan

I have to admit it: My love for the game of golf has waned lately. My fascination with it started as a young boy, watching my father pick up the game in middle age after successful athletic runs with football, track, softball and other activities.

It blossomed when I received free playing time as a young teenager working my first job as a local park district maintenance employee. Then, I hit the jackpot by getting the chance to cover some of the greatest players the game has ever known as a sports reporter.

I’ll never forget personally speaking with Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Greg Norman and quite a few others. There also was covering half of the “grand slam” events — The U.S. Open and the PGA Championship — and getting a chance to play on their magnificent courses. It was an incredible period.

Times have changed and interests have veered. But that doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten many things from my golf days, particularly some of the game’s enduring terms, like the “gimme.”

A “gimme,” for the uninitiated, denotes a very short remaining putt to get into the hole. So short, in fact, that you don’t have to actually hit the ball again for your playing partners to consider it a done deal. Count one more stroke and pick up your ball. No further effort needed.

That’s what I’ve come to realize the annual McKnight’s Online Expo is — a “gimme” for long-term care professionals. 

You’ve done your hard work and put yourself in position to succeed, so now it’s time to sit back and reap your rewards. In our case, that means turning on your computer (after you register for the event, of course, at www.mcknights.com/Expo2017), making a few mouse clicks and sitting back to soak up the benefits.

We bring the national experts; they deliver the cutting-edge knowledge about vital issues; you take notes and ask questions, if you wish. Collect up to five free continuing education credits and improve your career in numerous ways. Turn off the computer and enjoy a libation of your liking. Heck, enjoy it even while the programs are ongoing. Nobody will care and you’ll still get all the benefits.

And it’s all free. In other words, just show up and enjoy.

This is about as close to a work-life “gimme” as you’re ever going to get. Go ahead and jump in. You’ve earned it.