Get that man a Miller Lite!

A funny thing happened last night while I was at the bowling alley for league bowling. 50ish men were standing around going about their business of bowling and drinking, when the title “Breaking news” comes across the screens above the lane. Slowly we all noticed and started watching when we weren’t bowling.

About 15 minutes into it the plane started making its final descent. Thats when the funny thing happened. The entire bowling alley went quiet. Not a man was bowling. Everyone’s eyes were glued to the silent television screen. We all felt that gut feeling that what your watching may become something important. All you could hear was the Pin machines in the back of the alley sorting pins as the plane got closer to the ground.

As the plane touched down with its nose way up in the air, (It seems that the front landing gear wheels were 90 degrees from where they were supposed to be) even the machines seemed to quiet down. When the wrongly pointing front wheels finally touched the tarmac, there were sparks then smoke then sparks and smoke and finally sparks, smoke and flames. The plane skidded on its front tire and rolled on its good back tires and came to a stop. The front tires were nearly gone and all that really remained was the stub that the front tires connected to. Here’s where the rest of the funny thing happened.

When the plane stopped moving, 50 or so men in North Dakota, severaly thousand miles from the action, began applauding. They weren’t applauding the latest 300 game, but the safe landing of JetBlue Flight 292. As the applause died down, a man was heard to say “Get that man a Miller Lite!”

The pilot of JetBlue 292(It rhymes) deserves a medal of bravery, a vacation, and probably a new pair of shorts and I suppose a Miller Lite too.

I am surprised sometimes by the things that happen in this world. I was surprised last night too. In a good way. Perhaps there is some hope for our country, race, and world yet. Perhaps, just perhaps, we still care about our fellow man. 50 or so men applauded a pilot’s skill last night. They applauded his heroics and they applauded the lives he saved. Maybe we still care what happens to our world.

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