Sunshine Seeks Sunshine: Was that your nickname in hippie era too?

I know there are others out there who got the name Sunshine during the hippie era of the late 1960s early 1970s in the USA.  I got so christened at the Holy Man Jam in Boulder Colorado, 1970(?), where several gurus, mystics, yogis, and monks were presenting to hundreds of hippies in university square.

The sun went behind clouds and we were afraid rain would ruin the celebration.  So I jumped on the stage and led a rain dance, drove the clouds away with our energy we did, and as the sun broke through people called out to me, “Your name is Sunshine.”

I went from Boulder to Dallas and moved into a Yoga ashram.  Much anticipated, Swami Satchidananda came through to give us mantras and new Yogic names.  My housemates were coming out of the little office now named Gurudev and Lakshman and Sita, etcetera.  When it came my turn, the old Indian Brahman said to me, “I cannot change your name, you are Sunshine.” 

So it stuck.  I was Sunshine until years later, in college in Austin, studying Journalism, the name Sunshine Ebeling was too long and lacked credibility, so I shortened my real name Kathryn to Kay and it stuck.

Over those enchanted months as a hippie traveling our strange world, I met numerous others, males and females, who had ended up with that same name Sunshine.  I wonder, where are you all now, where are the Sunshines?

Contact me at cityofangelslady@yahoo.com to connect, if you are Sunshine or know where there are others.  I’m planning on kicking around another couple decades, so no rush.

-Kay Ebeling

Reporting from Appalachia