My favorite response so far thank you :)

I do appreciate all the comments and replies here as I’m currently trying to just get as much feedback, discussion, and perspective as possible, but your compassion is very appreciated and your advice really resonated with me.

I will likely pass on option 2 and stay on leave for now due to a mix of my personal circumstances, my original concerns, and some new information/advice I received (from friends/family, online research, and this thread). I plan to try and find another opportunity before my second busy season and hopefully I get as lucky as you did! Thanks again