I had the same deal with flat pedals on my mountain bike, swore they were a downgrade after years of clips and kept a set of pedals in a box for two seasons. Then a buddy talked me into trying them on one rocky loop near my house and I clipped a root wrong, put a foot down, and just kept going instead of tipping over. My knees quit aching on long descents too, which I did not see coming. Rode the whole next year on them and the clips are still in that box somewhere. I still ride clips on the road bike, so I am not fully converted, but I was wrong about how much they would hold me back.

I used to roll my eyes at people who complained about satellites in their shots. Figured they were just being picky, and honestly I liked the little streaks. Then I did the same thing you did and drove out past the city one clear night, and wow, the sky was just crawling with them. Now when I stack my backyard photos there's a trail in almost every frame and it drives me nuts. I still leave most of them in because I'm lazy, but the bright ones right through a galaxy shot get cloned out. It's a weird thing to get worked up about, but once you see them you can't unsee them.