Lou Salas, a retiree in Colorado, spent more than four years assembling a 60,000-piece jigsaw — a 29-foot map of the world that arrived in roughly five dozen boxes. Working at his own pace from home, he and a group of friends eventually had to build a massive table in his garage with a raised platform so he could reach and place pieces at the center.
Reporter Tony Dokoupil spoke with Salas after he fitted the final piece last weekend. Completing it brought mixed emotions: pride and a little sadness that a longtime project had come to an end. The team celebrated with a few beers, though Salas admitted part of him wished the work could keep going. He said the puzzle taught him to savor daily progress — building a life, he noted, happens piece by piece — and reminded viewers to enjoy the process because nothing lasts forever.