It was either this or counting sheep...

Ok show of hands- Do you ever have one of the those nights when you have been thinking about something and you just won't be able to fall asleep until you write it down or think it all the way through?

 (My hand is raised.)

I don't know why I can't sleep, but in hopes of helping me achieve that lofty goal, I am composing this blog post to share this idea that's been gnawing at me a bit tonight.

Is it possible to live a simple life in the US?

This question I suppose surfaced earlier this evening as I began to think about all the things I "needed" to get in order to start my life in the US.  Obviously, I need a job to be able to earn an income, but what about all the other stuff too?  I got a cellphone to help me look for that job; I will be needing a car to get to job interviews and then to an actual job; I will be needing car insurance to drive that car; I will be needing health insurance to pay for something that might happen if I wreck that car; I will be needing an apartment to go home to after I work at that job; Food to eat so that I have enough energy to go to work; and in the words of the great king of Siam "et cetera, et cetera, et cetera"

These are all needs in the US...well, as far as I can figure out, these are the basic needs to live a fairly middle class life.   That doesn't even include the luxuries of things like fully furnishing that apartment with appliances and other assorted things; computers; internet, television, (though some may consider those things necessities as well).

In Peru, I believe I lived a middle class lifestyle as well; but somehow it all seemed much easier to attain.  I didn't need a car because I did well with public transportation, Cellphones were affordable, and not completely necessary because a lot of communication is still *gasp* face to face. Housing is affordable, and health insurance, though helpful for the big stuff, wasn't necessary to receive treatment at an affordable cost. I didn't have a television, and food was the least of my concerns as you could eat a 2 course meal with drink for as low as 4 soles ($1.33).

Now that I'm back in the states, getting ready to take on the challenges of finding a job/car/insurance etc.  I'm finding myself feeling like one of the Lost Boys in Peter Pan- all of it just makes me want to stay young forever and never grow up.  Is it immature to flinch at the thought of getting sucked into all the paperwork and confusion of life in the states?  Don't get me wrong, I don't necessarily want to be living on the side of a mountain herding 25 goats while weaving my own clothes and making my own cheese, but what is the balance between that and being up to my eyeballs in paperwork and legal jargon?

Is there a balance for me?