What does Ralston consider his morning routine and why is it important to him?

Every morning, Ralston expects to see the raven fly by about 8:15 am and the sun to break through about an hour thereafter for his "sun salute". To see the raven and sun every morning is a routine that Ralston depends on, something to look forward to. When everything else around him fails to work as he hopes it to, the smallest things that always comes through becomes very important.