Have my personal preferences and practices changed over the course of years as I've aged and acquired experience?
Sure.
I carried .357 Magnum revolvers on-duty as a young cop, and either .357 Magnum revolvers or a steel Commander off-duty. I slipped in some large frame .44's, too. (.44 Magnum was an authorized - and popular - optional duty weapon at my agency until we transitioned away from revolvers).
As the years passed I became a firearms instructor and then an armorer. 20 years as a firearms instructor and increasingly many armorer classes can have an effect when it comes to the opportunity to gain new experiences.
Smaller & lighter pistols chambered in actual service calibers became more available ... as did stronger and lightweight 5-shot revolvers.
I watched the development and success of the .40 S&W cartridge (although I didn't exactly buy into it until it had been out and in use for about 10 years
).
I accepted that 9mm was a viable defensive caliber, and I rediscovered the advantages and value of an Airweight J-frame.
Nowadays I tend to prefer smaller alloy or plastic frames pistols and Airweight J-frames.
I still like .45's ... but I generally choose to carry slightly smaller pistol platforms chambered in 9mm or .40 S&W, with 9mm being my preferred caliber in such little pistols. Handy, accurate & controllable.
I own several J-frames and a SP101DAO, and I can easily see me picking up at least one more J-frame. I like them and shoot them well.