TONY DOKOUPIL:
00:00:00
We're back with The Good Stuff. The world's largest puzzle and what the man who did it learned about life in the process. In retirement, Lou Salas decided to take on a 60,000 piece puzzle, a map of the globe and all its wonders, so large it comes in five dozen different boxes. He got to work from his home in Colorado, just working on it when he felt like it. And just last weekend, after more than four years, he got to the end. But how do you even assemble a 29-foot puzzle? Lou and some friends built a giant table in the garage, with a platform to hover him over the middle pieces. After all the work to get to that final piece, how did it feel putting it in place? It felt kind of sad because it'd been a part of me for a good time.
TONY DOKOUPIL:
00:00:54
Lou and the team celebrated with a few beers, but part of him wished it wasn't over. It takes a while, but when you get to the end, you reflect back, and it's behind you, and it's not a long process at all. Sounds like it deepened your appreciation for life itself. Oh, it is. I mean, the whole thing is kind of a reflection of life. Day by day, piece by piece, you build a life the same way you build a puzzle. And even when it's the world's largest puzzle, Lou reminds us you're not going to be building it forever, so enjoy it.
