I make no claims to being musical. If anything, my musical appreciation is akin to Rain Man’s: if I like a song, I just play it and play it and play it and….

That said, I do have an enormous appreciation for hard work. Given that, I thought Jennifer Hudson’s hair-on-the-back-of-my-neck-raising performance of Whitney Houston’s “I will always love you” at last night’s Grammy’s deserves a very loud shout out.

Consider, if you will, that Ms. Hudson had less than 24 hours (likely far less by the time the news broke, the producers finished panicking, her agent could be found, and she could agree) to take on – like it or hate it—an iconic song on a worldwide stage.

(Those of you who feel impelled to point out that she didn’t, in fact, sing the whole song, please feel free to vote with your fingers and move along to another page on the www)

Having considered that, consider that Ms. Hudson not only tackled the song with enormous talent, but she didn’t feel impelled to sob, shriek, or carry on. We were not even treated to the sight of a single glistening tear. Instead, she kept the focus where it belonged: on Whitney Houston and her legacy.

On any other night, this would have been extraordinary. On a night dedicated to the appreciation of the overtly preposterous, it was downright astounding.

My takeaway? (Aside from admiring Jennifer Hudson still more than I already did) The next time I think I don’t have enough time to accomplish something in the next 24 hours I will certainly zip my lip and have at it. And, if I’m lucky, I will do it with similar grace.