…presented at St. John's Lodge No. 35, Cayuga, October 5, 2006.

Right Worshipful Sirs, Very Worshipful Sirs, Worshipful Sirs Distinguished East and Brethren All.

I stand before you tonight relieved, that I don't have to think about the other things that I should or could be doing, instead of being here among friends.

Doing Book work, answering E-mail, phone messages and Truck shopping. That's me Multi-tasking.

The definition of computer multi-tasking is the apparent simultaneous performance of two or more tasks by a computer. But now it's a buzzword that means: people simultaneous handling of more than one task.

What started this line of thought was a story on the radio the other morning about a study of People who multitask. The study found these people work a total of 43 hours a day, when they added all of the various tasks that were accomplished. Then a day or so later, I heard that this wasn't true because of the time to re-orient oneself between jobs. In reality the more tasks a person has to concentrate on the lower their IQ becomes.

Where there used to be the CEO or president, vice presidents, assistances and a whole staff of labourer's to support the higher echelons of business, now due to cut backs, there are fewer people expected to do the same amount of work.

What did you do as you drove to the meeting? Order supplies for the office. Monitor you're Personal Date Planner checking where you should have been. Answer the cell phone from a client that you forgot to get back to due to multitasking.

Yet this latest study shows people can't work to their full potential when their thoughts are scattered over multiple tasks.

The reason that lodges are a welcome change to the hectic pace of every day life is that there is no multitasking. Everyone is here to pull together in one concentrated direction for the good of the lodge instead of six or seven jobs pulling one person in all different directions.

I believe this is the purpose of lodge to enable the membership to get away from everyday life and enjoy the fellowship of the person sitting next to you and to congratulate him for a job well done, no strings attached with no other distractions.

The thought of our lodges being taken over to the way of multitasking would be unforgivable. I came here to greet each and everyone of you as a brother. I want to take the time to listen to your concerns and act on them, join with you for this time of fellowship. When I accomplish this, the meeting shall be deemed successful and you and I can go home in high spirits and fulfilled.

Brethren I thank you for the kindness that you have afforded me this evening but in the words of my grandfather: "The best thing that you can put into a speech is shortening."