Over/Under

This week I've seen another magazine/newspaper/news show with a "30 Under 30," "40 Under 40," etc. feature, which heralds those professionals who are setting a standard of accomplishment in their lives, even though they are of the junior set. 

Good for them. Let's see where you are in another 20 years, hotshots.

While those who accomplish things before they reach 30 or 40 should get a nice pat on the back and a good meal, what about those who are over 30 or over 40? Shouldn't they have goals to shoot for after they've passed certain chronological benchmarks? Shouldn't they be recognized for making things happen and not resting on what they have or have not accomplished even though maybe they don't have anything more to prove? Or better yet, maybe there are folks in their 30s or 40s or beyond who may have messed up a thing or two in their youth and now are getting their acts together and  moving on up -- a decade or two delayed, but impressive nonetheless, no? 

Hey, anyone can ride a head of steam to blow past their peers when they are in their 20s and 30s, but for those who have taken a more indirect route, to at some point in their 30s or 40s to realize that they've got to right their ship and not merely settle for where they happen to be at the moment, well, they deserve some  recognition, as well.

Not that, um, I um, am like any sort of, er, late bloomer here myself ... (ahem). 

UPDATE: Oh crap, I just realized that one of my most favourite bloggers around, the youthful Stephen Rader, is involved with one of these such honors. So I'm including a disclaimer to clarify that I do not mean to criticize these sorts of awards or features or anyone who has accomplished something cool before they hit 30 or 40. But I think it's more of a challenge to make your mark after the world has kicked you around for a decade or more after you've been on your own. 

Maybe I should start an award for "20 or 30 over like 30 who kind of fucked things up a bit every so often in their 20s and 30s but are now not fucking things up as much or hope to be relatively fuck-up free by their mid-40s." The banquet dinner could be interesting, at the least.