The Bits
Reflection – The Bits
May 23, 2026
My mother, especially as she got older, would frequently quote her mother, my Nana. Certain words, phrases, and proverbs that she recalled made no sense to me. Perhaps because they were part of an older lexicon, but more likely because they were British sayings, as both my Nana and Mom were born and raised in England. One of my favorites, whose meaning has remained a conundrum to me for decades, was “well, I’ll go to the foot of our stairs”. After fairly extensive research, the meaning of the phrase still remains a mystery. Two other favorite phrases were used by Mom when she was tidying up the house. The first was, “Well, it will only get ‘a lick and a prayer’ today,” indicating just a quick pick up and a promise to do more another day. The second was, “I’ll just get the bits and pieces today.” I have always loved this idea of only attending to the parts that were visible and leaving those unseen for another day. I like this because sometimes the bits are the important parts. (more…)