What's your ritual?

Think of the word ritual. Many people automatically think of a bunch of people dancing around a fire and singing a foreign song! That's not what i mean. Many people have their personal rituals. They are just the little things that we do daily to keep us feeling sane, comfortable, happy, and ready to start our day. These are the times you can kick out the judge that's always breathing down your shoulders. You can look forward to this ritual every day. Many creative people have rituals. Rituals are important to the creative process because the familiar routine helps get your motors rolling. There is no going back, you must now finished what you started.

One ritual that i found very interesting was the one of Mort Walker (the cartoonist). Before he begins writing he soaks one foot in hot water and the other in cold. Another example of a ritual might be working out everyday. You might wake up each morning at 5:30 am, put on your work out clothes and head out to hail a cab. The ritual is not the getting up or the two hour work out. The ritual is hailing the cab. Because once you are in that cab you cant go back. Another example might be to walk your dogs with a family member and talk about your day. As soon as you get back you are awake and ready to start the day. It's a special ritual and it lets you go out into the world ready to take on whatever life throws at you.