I think taking this kind of sabbatical needs to become the norm in our field. I recently did so and, while I didn't end up with anything as viable as what you made, I'm 100% glad that I was able to make the effort and not have to deal with the 9-to-5 grind for a while. No. Regrets. It's also eye-opening how most people have difficulty comprehending the idea of quitting voluntarily to do something of personal interest.

Working on projects "on the side" was damaging to my health. I sacrificed way too much of my "recharge" time after work sitting in front of a computer doing more work, rather than going to the gym, hiking, cooking and relaxing. Most of the time, it's just not worth it to sacrifice those things.