Yikes! Sorry to hear you had such a bad ride. Like others have already said, you don't have to use clipless if you don't want to right now (or ever). Do whatever works for you and your riding style, and makes you want to ride. I've never used them either, partly because I don't want to be worried about tipping over at stoplights or not being able to get my feet off the pedals quickly enough in an emergency but probably even more because I just dislike the idea of having to wear special shoes (that often aren't good to walk in once off the bike). That said, having your feet come off the pedals when you don't want them to isn't great either. I've heard good things about the MKS Lambda flat pedals and just ordered a pair to put on the Surly once it gets here. Maybe you could look into something like those...I can post more info once I've used them for a bit. They're supposed to have good grip and also have a larger platform for your foot, which sounds particularly good to me b/c I generally wear thin/flexible-soled shoes.