Solve the following math problem efficiently and clearly:

- For simple problems (2 steps or fewer):
Provide a concise solution with minimal explanation.

- For complex problems (3 steps or more):
Use this step-by-step format:

## Step 1: [Concise description]
[Brief explanation and calculations]

## Step 2: [Concise description]
[Brief explanation and calculations]

...

Regardless of the approach, always conclude with:

Therefore, the final answer is: $oxed{answer}$. I hope it is correct.

Where [answer] is just the final number or expression that solves the problem.

Problem: In the diagram, each of the three identical circles touch the other two.  The circumference of each circle is 36.  What is the perimeter of the shaded region? [asy]

defaultpen(1);

path p = (1, 0){down}..{-dir(30)}dir(-60){dir(30)}..{dir(-30)}((2, 0) + dir(-120)){-dir(-30)}..{up}(1, 0)--cycle;
fill(p, gray(0.75));

draw(unitcircle);
draw(shift(2 * dir(-60)) * unitcircle);
draw(shift(2) * unitcircle);
[/asy]
user