It sounds like you don't miss it because you never figured it out.

I also come from the days of 26" wheels and rigid forks. Yes, we learned how to get off the back of the saddle. We made it work because that's the only option we had with the saddle in the way. A few years ago, I bought my first 29er MTB - a light, racy hardtail with a rigid post. Out of curiosity, I put a dropper on it, just to see what it was about. I gave myself the chance to learn how/where to use it, and let it get incorporated into my riding style. What I found was that a dropper gives me more space to move around over the bike - and more freedom for the bike to move under me - than I could ever get with a rigid post. The biggest thing is being able to position my body a LOT better on steep stuff. Instead of hanging off the back, it's more of a crouch over the top, balanced and in control. I also found that even on non-steep, non-technical descents, a dropper lowers my CG and makes fast sweeping turns even more grippy and fun. I ride my gravel bike (no dropper) on a lot of the same trails I ride my MTB, and the lack of space to move is immediately evident.