I was talking to someone the other day about dropping the towel, and I can’t remember who it was. They told me an apocryphal but appealing story. Here it is:

Two people hold opposite ends of a towel, and pull. The towel is tight between them. But when one person lets go, the towel falls limp.

The towel is a metaphor for a fight. When both sides hold on to it, it stays in the air, taught. When one person chooses to let it drop, there’s no longer a fight, just one angry person holding a towel.

Maybe I dreamt it. Maybe I read it somewhere. Maybe someone told me. I can’t remember at all.

Does this ring any bells?