The Original Overachiever

Kissed my first girl. Lost my first patient. Life will never be the same again...

~Doogie's closing Journal Entry, Pilot Episode

Few people achieve so much that they actually push themselves out of the limelight. For most of us, we strive for the small accolades that speckle our career. Instead, we find happiness in the little things, like a sunrise or a blog. But there is one very special group of people who did just the opposite. I am referring to the cast and crew of Doogie Howser MD (see photo below). They tugged on America's heartstrings, made us think about what it means to be 'grown-up' and of course, there was the laughter. But more than cheap emotion, those guys pushed the envelope. They asked the hard questions. He can prescribe drugs, but can't buy beer? What's up with that?

We watched this young genius grow into adulthood, and every episode was flawless. But it was too perfect. By Episode 97 (What Makes Doogie Run), all avenues had been explored and there was nothing left to see. The show disappeared. They had achieved too much and were gone.

So many times I have seen reflections of Doogie in my day-to-day life. Like the Doogie Team, the Bean has over-accomplished. In her growth time in the womb, she's growing at a 7th grade level. Right now, at 26 weeks, she's already 2 pounds 4 ounces, growing so well that her due date has been pushed up 2 weeks. She's now too large to photograph using conventional ultrasound technology. That means we'll have to wait until September to get a new shot of the Bean. So, like Doogie, she has disappeared from view.