Bit by Bit

In the Gambia, West Africa, when you come upon a person as you are walking, you must greet them with several traditional greetings.  You ask how the day is, how the family is, do they have peace?  The answer is always some version of “there is peace”, or “they are there only”, indicating that all is well with the family and the world.  We have greetings here in the U.S., too, but our traditions are much shorter.  “How are you?”  “Fine, thank-you.”  The Gambian greetings, and the American greetings, have standard answers.  When we ask, “How are you?” we are not expecting to hear about one’s life history, or health conditions, or employment status.  The real story may come later in the conversation, after initial pleasantries, but at first, we are just letting people know that we see them and wish them well.   

In the Gambia, one of the typical greetings is to ask, “How is the work?”  The answer in Mandinka is, “Doman doman.” Meaning bit by bit, slow slow, or little by little.  I have embraced this idea of working on things slowly, a bit at a time.  It really has become my favorite philosophy.  

I think of this in the spring as the projects start stacking up.  The garden already needs weeding, and I haven’t even planted it yet.  I need to find someone to re-roof the barn.  I need to clean the barn.  And then there is the ever-present need to shovel manure or clean the dog poop out of the yard.  I just bought a complicated drip irrigation kit that I need to figure out and set up in the vegetable garden.  The more I get done, the more things I see that need doing.   The task list never ends.  When I start to feel overwhelmed, I remember the Gambian greeting.  All I can do is work on the irrigation system, bit by bit.  Work on the clean-up tasks, slow slow.  Dig up the garden beds, little by little.  Work my way down my task list, doman doman.  I think we need to add this to our typical American greetings, too.  “How’s work?” “Bit by bit. I am on it slow, slow.”  It is the answer to all questions.