This is Yindhum Chorten in Dorje Phagmo Dratshang in Zhemgang.

A few years back I had put marbles around the stupa after a conversation with one of the resident nuns there, who is in a wheelchair. She has permanent birth defects.

During my recent trip there, however, as I was sitting on this spot and observing the people going around the stupa, I just realized how a simple innovation like putting flat tiles around a stupa can mean so much not just for the disabled but for the old too. How easy and pleasant it makes for the elderly to do their circumambulating.

One guy came up to me and told me how his father-in law loves going around this stupa because the floor is smooth. For those of us living in the cities such facilities are often taken for granted. In far flung places it is a luxury.

Doing good things does not necessarily mean you need lots of money, and you have to do great things. Great things are great, but not all can afford. Small and simple projects such as this, but meaningful, do not cost much and can give you an equally great sense of joy and fulfillment.

For those of my age who have had their share of fame and fortune and are seeking some greater meaning in their life (not those who are struggling still), all you need to develop is mindful seeing and observations, coupled with empathy and service to others. And to slow down with accumulating wealth and power and vying for more.

There are so many simply joy you can bring to the world.

Next project: to make the temple and the stupa wheelchair friendly.