On Saturday the 22nd of March -the second day of spring- 2025, around thirty people coming from different countries gathered in a sauna in the centre of Ghent, Belgium. For three hours they shared in the wet and dry saunas, the steam cabin, the pool, the bubble bath and the ice bath. They also shared in some of the stories and reflections contained in the book that was being published. As the pages wrinkeld in the hot and moist sauna air, me and Valentina (trough a speaker) read a selection of stories to friends, acquaintances, and strangers.

‘Life could be very long’ is a book that was written by Valentina Marchetti and me. The book was published by Copyshop-(click here), and with them we managed to make a beautifully touching end result. Valentina Marchetti and me met each other in Osacca, Italy at ‘Residenza Anfibia, Oltrepasso ‘(click here). Both our initial friendship and later collaboration were rooted in emotional intimacy, vulnerability and being there to care for each other. This is something that is interwoven in the form and content of the book, so for the booklaunch it seemed only natural we would do the same. We chose the beautiful Sauna ‘Aqua Azul’ (website) in Ghent. For me personally it is also a way of saying goodbye to this city in which I lived for quite a few years, as well as to a social circle I inhabited for quite a few years.