Sounds like you've just discovered the bestest healing tool, Bones! Fun, enjoying oneself... it grows into a force-field so that the "other" stuff bounces right off... and back to "sender". I did some of that this weekend too - went to a small company's Christmas party. Lots of fun kids, dogs of all sizes, a great band, good home-cooked food, nothing fancy - all quite makeshift and informal. Met some very nice, hardworking, normal people!
I'm beginning to realize I gotta get out of my big ole house, and out of my neighborhood of people who still think fancy & expensive = better (or pretend that they believe this... for whatever reason) and go find a place for myself, where I can be useful and immersed in everyday, ordinary affairs. There's a lot of "sad" in the people I'm meeting in my neighborhood - I pick up on the wistful comments, faraway looks and while I could probably say something to cheer them up, don't ya know I'm afraid of unsuspectingly putting myself back into that boundaryless "Ms. Fixit" position again. I wish I could finally conquer my reluctance to "play" or take people up on their invitations to spend time together.
I know I am still susceptible to that; the doing/saying/being "too much"... a friend asked for computer help and it only took me a minute... but then it was "sit and talk awhile"... and I got the feeling that I was the entertainment for the evening - and also subtly being asked to referee; I'm allergic to being in the middle like that. Thankfully, my dinner was in the oven and I kinda kept the time it would be done in my head. And when the phone rang, I made my escape - that's what it felt like. Because I couldn't relax being the center of attention like that.
So what play - what part? - did you audition for, Bones? I didn't know you liked to do this. I was involved in one play, in HS... I did set design/props for an Agatha Christie mystery. I was surprised to learn, that even those support roles behind the scenes are really important to the overall action onstage. I guess that's why it's a "production", huh?