Stretch your Sabbatical Idea: Daughters Inspire This Boomer’s Trip-of-a-Lifetime

Molly Thomas with Abacus

While  more than enough good ideas for your upcoming sabbatical may exist, finding the “best” experience is critical. Given career ambitions, should you consider a global leadership experience or is this the time for personal rejuvenation?  Is including family a good idea? Or this time, perhaps not?

Part of finding “your best” sabbatical can be  to take an idea and stretch it by asking:

Can I add an element that’s a little over-the-top?

What if I were to go out of my  comfort zone?

Not only might this new idea have more potential to achieve your goals, it also may  make your heart race a little faster – either from pure excitement or fear. Great, you might be on to something.

Molly Thomas’ upcoming first  sabbatical – “a trip of a lifetime” – came from the “stretch” process.  As part of the  Client Services Team at Abacus Planning Group, she’s eligible for a 4-week paid sabbatical. Abacus Planning Group, a fee-only investment counsel and  financial planning firm located in Columbia, South Carolina, offers employees a 4-week paid sabbatical after 5 years.   (To find other companies that provide sabbatical programs, check  ”workplaces for sabbaticals.”)

What started out as a stay-cation (she’d get some things done around the house and throw in a jaunt to San Francisco) is now a full-tilt-across-the-Pond-I-can’t-wait-for-April career break.

Now for a drum roll please. Going to Europe is a first-time experience for Molly.  (wooowheee!)

What caused Molly to re-think her original idea? “My daughters inspired me,” said Molly. Two of her daughters have traveled in Europe – more than once.  While I was speaking with Molly, one of those daughters, a sophomore in college, was tweeting her way across Spain to Barcelona.

Hearing her daughters’ experiences must have inspired Molly to ponder:  I’ve never done that. Could I do that?

Fantastic thought for stretching an idea  when looking for your best sabbatical.

Molly’s  sabbatical is a “hybrid” sabbatical – using time to be involved in several different experiences.  First, she’ll spend some Spring Break time with one of her daughters; then depart with her husband for the across-the-pond experience.  Using the last few days of her sabbatical alone at a beach house, she’ll take time for herself to reflect on her experience before returning to work.

I pointedly ask Molly if she truly felt at this stage of her life and career, this was her “best” sabbatical plan.  After a thoughtful pause, she replied, “Yes.  This is the best for now.  But next time I’m going for an entirely different experience.”

What might that mean?!! In five years, Molly will have an empty nest and that’s the time she’ll seek an experience “to take me way out of my comfort zone.” No cushy hotel rooms next time.  Instead, Ms. Thomas wants to wear only blue jeans, plop herself down in  a rustic environment and get  involved in perhaps mission work or some opportunity to give back to others.

Since Molly has already stretched one sabbatical idea, will she do the same for her second? (I keep thinking the answer might be “of course, she will.”) What do you think?

So, if you have a good idea for your sabbatical, take the time to s-t-r-e-t-c-h  it. Molly ended up with a sabbatical fodder file on her desktop titled,   ”Across the Pond” and unwavering confidence in her choice for what to do on her career break.

What might show up on your sabbatical folder file?