💼🤪 Why adults are taking gap years

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👀 What’s on tap today:

Up first…

Out: PTO. In: Mini retirements. More working-age adults are taking extended breaks from work, a.k.a. mini sabbaticals, a.k.a. “adult gap years,” according to the Associated Press.

Here’s what to know: 

🧑‍🏫 Sabbaticals aren’t just for professors anymore. “They’re a sacred human ritual,” according to Harvard lecturer DJ DiDonna, founder of the Sabbatical Project. He and his colleagues interviewed 50 U.S. professionals who took extended breaks from work, and found sabbaticals are an opportunity for burned-out employees to reset — and also a tool for employers to recruit, retain, and foster a talented workforce.

😌 When done correctly, these breaks can be life-changing. See: Dozens of glowing reviews. And while there’s no one-size-fits-all sabbatical, the Sabbatical Project recommends at least six-to-eight weeks off work. With proper boundaries, that time is enough to pursue passion projects, rest and recover from burnout, and take on exciting adventures. Unsurprisingly, they also often lead to major lifestyle shifts, like buying a new home, moving, or changing careers entirely. 

💼 But that doesn’t mean your boss will be on board … “When I coach women who are looking to take a sabbatical, the main thing they’re looking for is permission,” career-break coach Roshida Dowe told the AP. For most workers, that permission proooobably won’t come from your employer, which is why DiDonna is “pushing back on the idea that a sabbatical needs to be sponsored by an employer.”

💸 You don’t need to be a trust fund baby to do it. Unsurprisingly, cost tends to be the biggest barrier to taking a break from work, and many people can’t afford to quit their jobs. That said, if you can build a nest egg, “the cost is actually less than you might assume,” financial planner Taylor Anderson told the AP. ExodUS Summit co-founder Stephanie Perry has seen folks make the breaks work on just $40 a day. 

⏰ But you do need to plan ahead. Anderson recommends that folks who want to take a sabbatical think about it the way they do retirement planning: Save a little out of each paycheck. Then, when you have enough, know when to spend and when to hold back. “Often we find that people do have money saved, but they’re afraid to spend it,” Anderson told the AP. Plus, cost-saving measures like house-sitting or staying with friends can help.

✈️ Wanna know more? You can dig into the whole article here.

❄️ The Blizzard of ‘26 lived up to the hype. As of Monday evening, Boston’s snow total came in at a whopping 16.9 inches, while other areas topped three feet(!). Along the way, the storm reached blizzard status that caused WILD white-out conditions and led to 1,000 cancelled flights at Logan, power outages for nearly 300,000 Mass. customers, and closures at Doordash, Amtrak, Market Basket, and even some Dunkin’s. We probably won’t know the storm’s full impact for a few days, but in the meantime, this is our vibe. 

😵‍💫 Bostonians lost their cool over post-snowstorm parking. From slashed tires to broken windshields, to a legit stabbing, police have responded to 34 (!) confirmed cases of car vandalism since our January snowstorm. And that doesn’t include the dozens of verbal disputes and infinite passive-aggressive notes. City Councilor Gabriela Coletta Zapata is urging folks to take a deep breath before we do it all over again. “We’re all in this together,” she told Axios. Need a refresher on space-saver etiquette? Here’s a rundown.

📲 Gov. Healey’s new secret weapon? Influencers. It’s true: In an effort to reach audiences beyond the traditional press, local politicians are turning to influencers. Everyone from Gov. Healey to AG Andrea Campbell is offering creators one-on-one interviews, inviting them to events, and even promoting their accounts. See: Kate Weiser (@bucketlistboston). She regularly collabs with Healey on IG and sits on Boston’s nightlife committee. The shift is a long time coming, as more voters get their news online (right-wing influencers have been doing it for years), but it raises ethical questions about transparency.

👀 These local bars are BEAUTIFUL. Let’s be real: On a night out, the vibes can matter just as much as the drinks, which is why Boston mag dropped a list of the city’s most beautiful bars. It includes two B-Side Certified picks: the South End’s retro Desnuda Cocina & Bar and the North End’s Extra Dirty Cocktail Club, which Emily said had “sexy cave” vibes. Other picks include Back Bay’s Hecate, with its spooky-chic black walls, and Bubble Bath’s stunning skyline views. Check out the whole list here.

Buddy’s Diner has been closed for three years. But if Somerville residents have anything to say about it, it won’t be for much longer.

Buddy’s has been a community time capsule for decades, serving affordable diner food to a regular crowd in a retro lunch car since the 50’s. That is, until costly plumbing troubles forced it to shut down in 2023.

Without the cash to fix them, Buddy’s has been sitting vacant since. But lately, community members are stepping up to revive it. City councilors recently doled out a $74,000 grant, a GoFundMe has raised at least another $11,000, and community members are showing their support though social media. 

All in, Buddy’s will need ~$200,000 to open its doors again, but owner Niki Bairos is optimistic. After all, “... dreaming is free. It’s about the only thing I can afford these days,” she told the Globe. 

— Written by Gia Orsino and Emily Schario

🍳 Thanks for reading! In this economy, anywhere we can get a bacon, egg, and cheese for under $10 deserves historical landmark status.

❄️ The results are in: Most B-Siders underestimated Monday’s storm, guessing it would bring 12-18 inches of snow to Boston. One reader said: “More snow coming Wednesday!” … Yay.

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