Steve
I drove Toyota Trucks as the daily driver from 1985-2015. I loved their trucks. All of them manual.
I also had the same feelings you do toward automatics, but eventually I resigned myself to the fact that my Tacoma was a very marginal tow vehicle fr a 2horse trailer, and moved up to a GMC Sierra Denali with an automatic. I don't think I know how to use 1/2 the features that are incorporated into that transmission
Automatics have come a long way in the last decade or two, and you really should look into them.
My other cars are Mini Coopers and no way I'll put an automatic in one of those.
"The first thing you need to know, will likely be the last thing you learn." (Unknown)