Writing, Art, and Rituals

In the best of all possible worlds, it would be daylight outside every morning when I get up at 5 AM. That not being the case, I sometimes have to make what is; the darkness, the lack of specialness of a midweek day, amazing and above all, awakening.

Say what you will about the Muse, she is the very thing that rhymes with "ditch" in the morning, and needs lots of encouragement. In fact, I'm starting to lose all faith in her. So, I bring her fire and tea, and make my way out to the patio to sit at the picnic table overlooking our backyard.
Mornings can be glorious in the summer. Even without light the birds begin chattering, the ducks flying from their nightly resting place on our roof to wander our yard and take their morning baths in the kiddie pool that we provide for them every year.

Sometimes the chatter of life is as lifting as any music.
I take a few minutes to sip my tea (Teasourse, Green Mango or Blueberry Fields, in case you want to get me some for Christmas) and wait for my eyes to adjust to the morning. After that I'm ready. I open my journal to the next pre-prepared pages (usually done in watercolor...these are done in watercolor with a color copy of an encaustic painting) and just start writing. After my pen has touched the paper I don't allow it to come up for air until I've written for at least 20 minutes or have filled an entire page. Even though this is supposed to be fun, having a few rules actually allows me to be more creative and ultimately get something done.

Do I have awful mornings where I can't accomplish anything? You bet! Fridays; for instance, present a problem. I usually stumble out of bed much later than usual, haven't prepared a page the night before, so I'm forced to write on pages blank and boring, or I don't write at all.
Every day is creative, but not every creative day is the same.
What are your daily writing and art rituals? I'd love to hear about them.
(pardon my rerun...from an old blog...but I still want to hear about your rituals)
-Lynn