It is possible to prove one's patience and stubbornness all at once. All that is required is a jigsaw puzzle so old and extensively used that parts of it are worn down to the point they make solving it a task only for those devoted to the craft.
The one that caught me in a struggle lives at my parents' house and is probably thirty years old or so. Made by Disney, it depicts The Lion King's Pride Rock with all major characters gathered together with Zazu flying below. At only 1000 pieces, it's a pretty quick solve but for the two corners consisting of dark brown rock and clear blue sky respectively.
I'm a seasoned puzzler, though, so even that should not halt my progress. Unless, of course, discolouration makes it entirely impossible to puzzle by the shade and bent pieces no longer lie flat. One side piece has even been taped back together.
During the last visit to my parents' in which I worked on it, the rock corner had beaten me. Having filled in almost the entire corner, I came to an empty spot where not a single available piece would fit. I counted the leftover pieces and none were missing. Frustrated, I pulled out every single piece that did not have any kind of discernible pattern on it that cemented its place in the whole. I honestly wondered if I would ever tackle it again.
This weekend I decided to take on the sky. Parts of it were whisps of clouds that were slightly confusing but hardly a challenge. The rest of it, though? Let's just say that today at noon I announced to my parents I thought the puzzle was too far gone to be solved.
But tonight I decided to give it one last try. Turning back to the rock, I went about it methodically. Choose a spot that already has two neighbouring pieces fit in. Try every single eligible one, even the ones that seem blatantly unfit. Set aside each of those that slots in. Then study these pieces closely, compare and contrast, find any inconsistency, eliminate any aberrant ones. It's all about detail. This fit is just a hair too small. This side juts out from the one already in by less than a millimetre.
Somehow, I made progress. I cannot overstate the care with which I held my breath for the last few pieces. But then all the pieces were in. I moved back to the sky. I had to break off parts of it to start over, including, all the way at the end, the whole top side when the last piece just was not right, but somehow, I did it.
Patience and stubbornness. I think they can go hand in hand.
