I wonder could I write an observation in five minutes? I think of a situation. Make a few notes. Think about the composition. Set the stop timer and go.
I serve a man at the LizianShop. No, not serve, I answer his question:
‘Is this frankincense incense?’
‘Indeed it is, we buy it from the Prinknash Monastery. It is the finest quality and very popular’.
He smiles and looks knowingly at his friend. No doubting he does not trust my reply.
‘Are you sure it is frankincense?’
I confirm that it is, and although the shake of his head is almost imperceptible, I see it, as does his friend. They walk away, satisfied they have identified a fraud. The righteous must always have a cause, and it is inevitable the LizianShop will become their cause. I can hear their words ‘Don’t buy incense from them; the products are fake, they lie’.
In his smugness, he’ll repeat the fiction. His lie decree’s us to be deceivers. He’ll expose us for selling fake (in his mind) frankincense incense. The tragedy is; twelve years ago his ignorance could have damaged our reputation. Today, his lies and self-deception are no concern. Our reputation is hard won and precious, everyone who knows us recognises we are ambassadors of integrity. Hundreds of regular customers are a testament to our honesty.
I care about our reputation, it is the foundation of our past, the security of the future. Reputation has more importance than any aspect of material success. Reputation enfolds truth, honesty, fulfilment of promises. Why would we stock a fake product and sell it as real? It is easier to stock the original and sell it for the correct profit.
Do I resent the man? Yes, I do. If I were to call him a liar, he would defend himself and resent my accusation. Nor is there sorrow for his ignorance, it is a mirror of many of the Worlds problems.
Five Minutes
See You Soon
The Heart of the Mind 
Unfortunately, the world is full of people who think they know everything!
I love’em! Always good for a few words – Thanks for your support M
You’ve experienced the ‘joy’ (!?) of dealing with closed-minded, self-righteous people. Ian…
Anyway , what does he wants incense for? No doubt, he will parrot some rituals with some incense bought elsewhere, assuming that will make him ‘spiritual’.
He thinks he is very ‘superior’ and eagle-eyed, but one day he’ll fall flat on his face.
He may even come back and apologise for having doubted you simply because, sadly, the world IS full of fakes and money-making liars!
Meanwhile, all that matters, Ian, is that you KNOW you are honest and correct. So, do hundreds and thousands of LIZIAN Shop’s customers. Their good words and praises will outweigh his passing snarl. So, do not let his pettiness undermine your peace of mind.
You can even play at outdoing him , unknown to him, by using the limitless Creative Power of your Mind/ Thoughts ( as we all have). I suggest you visualize him whichever way you wish, symbolically even ( e.g. sharp spikes or thorns sticking out? Or covered in question marks?)- Whatever picture, imagine then that you smooth down or cut off his spikes etc! To turn him into a calmer, less aggressive, creature. Prevent his mouth from spreading lies about your shop…Do as much as you like. ( You get my meaning?) – He may be surprised by his changes!
Hopefully, one day, you will see the result … but i can assure you that it WILL WORK, if you put an intense FOCUS on your visualization. I have done similar things and I rejoiced in seeing the successful results; it worked.
This is what my Advanced Teachers in the Spirit World keep remind us, humans:
“Use the power of your thoughts. They are living, creative energy!”
Have fun, Ian. (You’ll definitely be one up on him… Ha ha ha ).
There is always one who asks us are these crystals real and after being told 99% are natural but some are man made they always have someone else with them to whom they smirk and say at least that percentage and leave the shop
They need to prove to their friend that they know more about crystals than we do there is always a smart arse around the corner but they only boost our reputation as they have come to the experts to ask the question.