I just figured something out... when AH and I were together, what got me into the most trouble was not anticipating his behavior to be precisely what I ought to expect it to be. I would get caught off guard and be upset.
I don't know why I went into cleaning, thinking all pollyanna-ish that it would be all roses. Of course I'm going to stumble across crap that will be upsetting.
Now that I am aware of that, accept it and expect it, I think I will be infinitely better equipped to deal with it than I was today....
Lesson learned: take a few moments to think about what I might encounter/expect when doing something that involves AH in any way, shape or form and I'll be less apt to be caught off guard...