Very, very lucky with my hearing. I never wore defenders in my teens or 20s but my hearing is still pretty good. I can hear frequencies I should have lost 5 years ago!
I do have a supportive wife but I would rather that she didn't come to gigs has I know the music isn't her cup of tea and usually, that makes it not enjoyable...
I have slowed down my gigging in recent years and started focusing on travelling has I get more enjoyment out of that nowadays.
Probably my current bass - a Sandberg TM4 SL. Lightweight, comfortable to play, great neck, onboard pre with loads of options for the J and MM pups and the tobacco burst looks amazing!
Never understood those who get so upset about a topic that they feel the need to constantly post on it pointing out that it is in fact everyone else that is wrong.