Something kind of close happened to me with a friend who always wanted to vent for like 3 hours on the phone. First time I cut it short I felt awful for a week. Second time was a little easier. But then she'd call again the next month and all that guilt would come right back like it was day one. The thing nobody tells you is you're not learning one skill, you're basically redoing it over and over until your brain stops panicking. Two years honestly sounds about right, not slow.

Oh man, that cow really picked the worst possible moment to judge you. I had a similar run-in last fall when a herd of goats wandered into my spot near Marfa and one of them headbutted my tripod around 2am. Lost about an hour of Andromeda shots to the wobble before I figured out what was happening. The worst part was the bell on that goat, jingling away in the dark while I tried to refocus. At least your cow just stared, mine brought friends.