Page 59 - Panama City Living July-August 2019

Northwest Florida is a beautiful place and locals are quick to say, “We live in paradise.” Is our paradise perfect? Well, of course not. There are countless opportunities to shape our community, pay it forward, and make it a better place. With endless challenges in the Hurricane Michael aftermath, life will never be the same for the generation that has lived through the storm. In many ways, it feels like being a passenger on an airplane, caught in a storm at high altitude. The best thing to do is not to panic, and when the oxygen masks are deployed, follow the advice given by pilots and attendants; put on your mask first before helping others.
A few months after Hurricane Michael, we published an article by local emergency room physician Dr. Frank Merritt, “10 Simple Steps to Happiness,” garnering overwhelming positive feedback from our readers. Local government offices and companies asked us for permission to re-publish the article and readers called us to let us know how Dr. Merritt’s advice had helped them. His down- to-earth, non-preachy introduction of simple truths that he and his family live by every day is Dr. Merritt’s approach to breathe-and- help-yourself-so-that-you-can-help-others.
Of course, the article also sparked questions and curiosity. Does he live by his own advice? How does he balance his career as a physician with family life? He has authored a book at the same time? When we called him to find out, Dr. Merritt’s response was prompt: “Come over for dinner and see for yourself. We will pick peaches from our tree this week.” With his soft-spoken Alabama accent, he announced that dinner would include fresh eggs from their chickens and freshly picked vegetables that he and wife Regina are growing in their backyard, with their two boys Samuel and Levi as avid helpers. It is not every day that we receive an invitation to a family dinner. And just like that, we had our first clues about Dr. Merritt’s personality, generosity, and mindset of sharing.
The Merritt residence is a three-level building a stone’s throw from Panama City Beach’s sandy shoreline, offering beautiful views of the Gulf of Mexico. It has a Mediterranean flair with white walls and dark wood, and a lush green lawn that sprawls over four lots. This time of the year, the family spends a few hours in the yard every day, working on one thing or another, harvesting, or just playing ball. “We got rid of all the dollar weeds,” Dr. Merritt tells us at the gate with visible satisfaction when he sees us admire the impeccable lawn. “The boys and I must have picked 10,000 weeds over the last two days. We don’t use weed killer,” he points out and explains that there is a well on the property that supplies irrigation for the lawn and for this reason he avoids using chemicals.
In the Merritt household, nothing goes to waste and everything has a purpose. In this case, the dollar weeds fed the chickens for a few days.
With dinner already on the table, Regina Merritt’s inviting smile derails any notion of intruding on the family’s privacy. Both boys leave no doubt that they are ready to eat, followed by a debate about who had done better in helping set the table, and who is oldest, and, more importantly, who is strongest. At the end of the dispute, the entertainment level is at its peak, and we are also getting a good idea which of the boys might be loudest.
We realize that raising the boys appears to be much more fun than growing vegetables as Dr. Merritt launches into describing the challenges of gardening by the beach. “The sand does not hold moisture,” he explains. “If you pour water on sand, 10 minutes later, it's completely dry and nothing will grow, except sweet potatoes; they are doing remarkably well in sandy soil. So, for vegetables, we have to top-dress the yard every year with topsoil.” In a team effort, the family had spread more than two thousand pounds of
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