The Ritual of Decluttering

"There were things I did to prepare for this part of my day, and they became a way to decompress in and of themselves," he says. "I shoveled the path from the back door out onto the patio ... it was a cold, still afternoon." The powdery, dry sort that doesn't pack together into a ball fell like shimmering dust from his shovel. It's a good kind for skiing, he thought.