Being James Taylor'ed

I heard once that when a romantic relationship ended, James Taylor would completely shut the woman out of his life. He wouldn't allow any further contact and even if in the same room with the woman, he would act as though she wasn't there. It wasn't just that he pretended the relationship never existed, he pretended the woman never existed. Poof. Like a magic act.

Now I don't know James Taylor at all. This may be a vicious rumor started by a scorned lover and in reality he's the type of man who donates his free time to soup kitchens. I don't know. He may also buy puppies just to kick them. Again, I don't know. He could do both. People are complicated creatures. 

But in the back of my mind, that story about him has always stuck with me.  It's sort of like being on a jury and the judge having something stricken from the record, you can't ever un-hear what you've heard, especially if it's juicy. And oops, now I've just put that in your head about James Taylor. I'm sorry. If it clouds your enjoyment of "You've Got a Friend" just remember that Carole King wrote the song and as far as we know, she's perfectly lovely. 

When I first heard this about James Taylor, I remember thinking how cruel his (alleged) behavior was. I couldn't figure out what characteristic would even cause a person to act like that. Vanity? Pride? Insecurity? Immaturity? I had no idea. 

Sure, there are some people with whom I've had relationships, romantic and otherwise, that I have no interest in keeping in contact with. However, I wish them no ill will and if we happened to see each other on the street, I have no doubt we could have a pleasant conversation before going our separate ways.  

There are also some men with whom I've had romantic relationships that I can't imagine not being around. The friendships were always strong and remain that way. We aren't in each other's daily lives any longer but we're still close and lend an ear when the other needs it.

Anyway, the point of all this was to say that I think I was James Taylor'ed this weekend and I sort of appreciate it. It made me think that ol' James may have been on to something. It feels liberating... but maybe that's because I'm the one who didn't want the relationship. That's probably a factor.

So, have you ever been James Taylor'ed? Did it help or hurt you in the long run? Have you ever James Taylor'ed someone else? Did you ever regret it?

Comments

[Maura]

Interesting, I hadn't heard that about James Taylor, whose music I really enjoy. At least, the old stuff.

Anywho, yes, I've been on both the shutting out and shut out end of relationships. I can't say that I regret it much, in either position. Yes, it can hurt, but sometimes it's for the best in the long run.

[Alissa]

Yeah, what Maura said. I have been out of touch here lately...lots going on. I'm sorry to hear this :-(