An Ode to My Father...
- Chad Putman
- Jun 21
- 7 min read
We often felt like two souls standing on opposite sides of a bridge, calling to one another in different languages, never quite able to understand each other’s hearts.
Today I honor the man who did the best he could with what he was given. I honor the lessons, the sacrifices, the effort, and the courage it took to break old patterns.
You loved me in your own way.
Every time you coached my tee-ball team, my Grasshopper League games, my Little League seasons. Every soccer game. Every basketball practice. Every evening spent throwing one more ball, taking one more swing, teaching me to keep going when things didn't come easy.
You loved me in your own way.
Every time you took me into the woods, you were inviting me into a world that mattered to you.
The smell of pine and the beauty in wildlife. The gift of patience. The wonder of deer trails, birdsongs, and creatures hidden beneath the leaves and shadows. You taught me that nature was alive, majestic, and part of who we are.
You loved me in your own way.
You taught me to work. To show up. To finish what I started. To endure discomfort. To keep moving when life was hard.
And perhaps most importantly, you taught me that a man can choose a different path than the one he was given.
You carried wounds that I could not fully understand. Pain handed down from your father. Expectations, hardships, and loneliness that shaped you long before I arrived.
Yet somehow, through all of that, you chose a different way. Sometimes you got it right. Sometimes you got it wrong. Sometimes your love felt distant. Sometimes it felt hidden beneath frustration, silence, and misunderstanding.
For years I wished you had loved me differently. I wished you had spoken a language I understood more easily. I longed for words, affection, and connection that never came in quite the way I hoped.
But time has softened me.
Now I can see that you were teaching me. Leading me. Believing in me. Not in the language I wanted, but in the language you knew.
We often felt like two souls standing on opposite sides of a bridge, calling to one another in different languages, never quite able to understand each other’s hearts.
Yet beneath the distance, beneath the misunderstandings, beneath all the years of longing and learning, there was love.
Steady as the forest. Quiet as morning in the woods. Present even when unseen. And today, I honor that love.
I honor the man who did the best he could with what he was given. I honor the lessons, the sacrifices, the effort, and the courage it took to break old patterns.
Most of all, Dad, I honor the truth that has taken me a lifetime to understand:
You loved me in your own way.
And despite everything, I have always loved you too.
Today I honor a man who has shaped me and the world I have tried to understand. I'm grateful for the mystery of life and the decades of love. Thank you for showing up i your own way.
Today I honor you.
Know that before your final day, night and breath. Your spirit, your impact, your essence doesn't pass. Your impact carries on with each and everyone of us that have had to opportunity to walk this earth with you.
Stay strong. Keep holding on. Then when it's time, teach us the final lesson of love. The courage it takes to say goodbye, to let go in order to fully experience the beauty and magic of life.
You loved life in your own way.
Queer Escape and Reboot / Terra Rosa & Sitges, Spain / August 17-24, 2026
Are you ready to heal? If so, I'd like to invite you to Queer Escape & Reboot, a transformational breathwork and queer communal living experience happening in August in two incredible locations. Terra Rosa, a queer communal sanctuary an hour North of Barcelona, on over 100 acres of land, over-looking the mountains leading to the Mediterranean. After four transformational days we will relocate to Sitges for a beautiful, three day weekend of integration and rest at our own private villa with pool and proximity to queer beach life on the sea.
Room to Breathe is a sanctuary for your authentic self. An opportunity to reclaim your peace, time to heal and overcoming trauma. Be inspired and empowered to cultivate resilience and ignite your spirit. Check out the full schedule of daily activities at Terra Rosa below.
Room to Breathe (schedule of activities at Terra Rosa):
Day to day...
Day 1 / Monday, August 17 / Barcelona Pick up 3:00 PM
Welcome & Creating a Safe Container for your Authentic Self • Orientation / *meals at Terra Rosa included
4:30 Check-in / refreshments, rooms and settling in at Terra Rosa
5:45 - 6:45 Opening circle / Welcome & Creating a Safe Container for your Authentic Self
7:00 - 8:00 Dinner (community *meal)
8:00 - 9:30 Discuss Retreat Flow + House rules (Terra Rosa) Orientation
10:00 - Quiet Time
Day 2
Tuesday, August 18 / Terra Rosa
Reclaiming your Peace and Wellness • Nervous System Reset with Breathwork, Body Mapping & Sound Healing • Navigating Intense Emotions and Finding Peace
Sunrise - (Optional) Awakening Connection (first light, grounding, breathwork, calisthenics and meditation)
9:00 Light *breakfast
9:30 - 10:30 Morning practice – find your tree (set an intention)
11:00 – 12:45 Workshop - Opportunity Workbook (self-reflection), group process and sharing circle
1:30 Lunch (community *meal)
2:30 - 4:30 Free time
5:00 - 7:15 Workshop - Body Mapping and Dynamic Breathwork
7:30 - 8:30 - Dinner (community *meal)
8:30 - 9:15 Foundational Breathwork at Sunset
10:00 Quiet time
Day 3 / Wednesday, August 19 / Terra Rosa
Deep Dive to Release Stored Energy & Emotion with Breathwork • Trauma in the Body; Guided Meditation, Release & Healing • Sonic Neural Breathwork and Holding Space
Sunrise - (Optional) Awakening Connection (first light, grounding, breathwork, calisthenics and meditation)
9:00 Light *Breakfast
9:30 - 1030 Morning Practice – Find your tree & Mantras as Breathwork (Ganesha)
11:00 – 12:45 Workshop - Opportunity Workbook (pairing up, sharing and holding space for another)
1:30 Lunch (community *meal)
2:30 – 4:30 Free time
5:00 - 7:15 Sonic Neural – Extended Breathwork, Deep Dive to Release Stored Energy, Emotion & Trauma in the Body
7:30 – 8:30 Dinner (community *meal)
9:00 – 9:45 Guided Meditation, Release & Healing (under the stars)
10:00 Quiet time
Day 4 / Thursday, August 20 / Terra Rosa
Day 4: Cultivating Intuition and Trusting your Inner Guidance • Experiential Exercises with Breathwork to Connect and Trust your Intuition • My Body, my Compass; Manifesting your Authentic Future
Sunrise - (Optional) Awakening Connection (first light, grounding, breathwork, calisthenics and meditation)
9:00 Light *Breakfast
9:30 - 10:30 Morning practice – community hike
10:45 - 11:45a – Workshop in the woods - Opportunity Workbook – “your it” (group process and sharing)
1:30 – Lunch (community *meal)
2:30 – 4:30 – Free time
5:00 – 7:15 Psychedelic Breathwork – Utilizing Breathwork to Connect to your Intuition, Spirit and Authentic Self
7:30 - 8:30 Dinner (community *meal)
9:00 – 9:45 Astrology, Natal Chart, Human Design - Cultivating your Authentic Future (maps, guidance and insight)
10:00 Quite time
Day 5 / Friday, August 21 / Barcelona & Sitges
Day 5: Departure from Terra Rosa and day trip to Ashram Villa Sunshine in Sitges / meals are not included in Barcelona or Sitges
9:00 Light *Breakfast
10:00 Room Check-out
11:00 Group departure
12:30 – 3:00 Afternoon in Barcelona (lunch, explore and shop)
3:15 – 4:00 Depart Barcelona – drive to Sitges
4:00 Check-in to Ashram Villa Sunshine
5:00 – 7:00 Check-in Refreshments, Rooms and Settling In
7:30 Dinner in Sitges
10:00 Quite time
Day 6 & 7 / Sat/Sun August 22 &23 / Villa in Sitges
Integration & Relaxation in Sitges at the Villa
Sunrise - (Optional) Awakening Connection (first light, grounding, breathwork, calisthenics and meditation)
9:00 Light *Breakfast
11:00 – 12:30 Group Process (optional) / Individual (60 minute) sessions available for integration and intention setting (10am – 5pm)
12:30 – 5:00 Explore Sitges; Beaches, Restaurants and Shops
5:30 – 6:30 Breathwork at the Villa or the Beach / Closing Circle Day 7
7:30 Dinner in Sitges
10:00 Quite time
Day 8 / Monday, August 24
Check-out and Ride back to Barcelona
9:00 Light *Breakfast
10:00 Check-out
11:00 Ride Back to Barcelona
.
Price: $1,670.00 / Includes:
Accommodations over 4 Nights, 5 days & 11 Vegetarian Meals at Terra Rosa (Queer Communal Community)
Transformational Breathwork Programing over 4 full days and 2 half-days
Accommodations 3 Nights, 4 days in our exclusive Ashram Villa Sunshine in Sitges (Top Queer Beach in Europe on the Mediterranean
Shuttle Service from Barcelona to Terra Rosa on August 17, from Terra Rosa to Sitges on August 21, and from Sitges back to Barcelona on August 24
*$500 deposit in order to register. Final payment due by July 15 and NO refunds after June 15, 2026. *Not Included: Flights, additional meals, travelers insurance and optional excursions.
Hosted by Chad Putman, MSW
You've heard some of my story, but the other part is that I truly enjoy connecting with others, exploring the world and having new and amazing experiences. As often as I can, I chose to ditch convention and old pathways. I've learned the hard way through my own personal struggles. At anytime I can embrace my own journey and desires, welcome change and to say "YES" to opportunities the scare the sh*t out of me. It's with that spirit I invite you to join me, not for a vacation, but for a queer escape and reboot. Starting today and this summer, embrace the change you want to be and see in the world.
Got questions? What are you waiting for?
Text Chad at 518-225-0957 or email chadputman1@gmail.com
for more information.
Comments