It’s been said that happiness is a journey and not a destination. Glimmers of happiness can often be found in the smallest of things, and in the tiniest of life’s details. This series of illustrations by Josef Lee follows the journey of an elderly man in his pursuit of happiness. Entitled Wake Me Up At Happy Land, it’s a short, almost wordless picture-story about a man travelling the world in search of the ‘Happy Land’.

The man travels to the far corners of the earth in the hope of finding utopia, by train, taxi, tram and even merry-go-round and hot-air balloon along the way. Rather than enjoying the journeys themselves, the man takes the opportunity to snooze – thus missing out on all of the wonderful sights, sounds and people passing him by.

Lee explains to Bored Panda: “I wrote this story to serve as a reminder to myself that happiness is within us, and all around us. That it exists in the small things, so long as we are willing to see it.”

h/t: creativeboom, boredpanda