As an obsessive Beatles fan, I have dedicated much of my life to experiencing the world that The Beatles created. I’ve wanted to be a hippie since I was a kid, and I’ve always been a little more than obsessed with the 60s aesthetic. When I fell in love with The Beatles, it was like I found a part of myself. I know that’s the hippiest thing you can say, but I’m not the only one to feel this way. The fact that they’re still relevant and influential 40 years later is a testament to their music and the legacy that they left.

My first Beatles-inspired roadtrip was in my last year of university with Moira, Hilary, and Caroline. We took the train all the way down to North Carolina, reading In His Own Write out loud on the train and celebrating George’s birthday at a Chili’s in Greenwood. We stopped in New York to visit Strawberry Fields, and when we walked past The Dakota, I cried, just a little.

I’m pretty sure I moved to London because I secretly thought it would still be the 60s here - sadly, it’s not. Something that isn’t sad, though, is that The Beatles walked the streets of London, leaving behind countless tourist sites for people like me to visit and cry over.

Today, about 6 months overdue, Zach and I took the bus to visit the famous crosswalk on the Abbey Road album cover, located just in front Abbey Road studios. 

The Beatles in front of Abbey Road Studios

Me in front of Abbey Road studios!

Me at the crosswalk

Them at the crosswalk!

While I didn’t cry this time, a few thoughts did cross my mind:

1. I’ve been doing a lot of soul-searching lately. I’ve been stressed about life, homesick for family and friends, and generally feeling unsettled and unsure. Moving countries will do this. Making big life decisions will do this. What’s important is not the grind of the everyday, but the days where you get to experience things that make you happy, and that you will remember 50 years from now. 

2. We should all still be hippies. We should all be trying to discover what exactly it is that makes us happy and fulfilled, and do that. We should find people we love, and we should spend as much time with them as possible, listening to and reading and watching things that make us happy. 

Also known as:

The other thing I realised is how The Beatles have become a feeling of home for me. I bring them everywhere. Snapshots of me in my life prove they’re always in the background and by my side.

Oh look, me and Ringo!

Me and my Beatles wall, which has moved house 3 times

Pretty much just trying to be John Lennon

Record listening with friends

A gift from Nathan

Beatles artwork

Some of my paraphernalia even jumped the pond

I suppose this post is more for me, to remind myself that even though life can get you down, there are some things that will always be there for you. Family, friends, love, and The Beatles.

Katie’s Twitter | Katie’s Blog | Katie’s Portfolio | Katie’s Columns