While in Little Rock for the Christmas holidays, I read an article that said Bill Clinton had visited several galleries in the River Market district to buy Christmas presents. Made me think… it must suck to be Bill Clinton sometimes.
Here’s why… I wander through art galleries all the time. And 99% of the time I don’t buy anything. In some cases, it’s because I don’t have the money. In other cases, it’s because there’s nothing in the gallery that appeals to me. For whatever reason, I thank the owner and walk out empty-handed.
But, imagine if you’re Bill Clinton. You walk in a gallery, and the owner is just thrilled that a former president is in her gallery. But then, say you do what I do, and turn around and thank her for her time and leave. Now the gallery owner is hurt and disappointed that nothing she had was good enough. So if you’re Bill Clinton, you’re pretty much obligated to buy something every time you walk in an art gallery. Which means you’re likely to run up a big tab and possibly some crappy art.
So you can’t just go incognito like I do. And that’s why it must suck to be Bill Clinton sometimes.