For quite some time, as you're going through your life, you're shaky about everything that you stand for, everything that you want, what you let into your soul, what you give credence to, what you hold dear, who you hold dear, all of that. In general, there's a flimsiness in your convictions and it's got nothing to do with you but is a rather simple reflection on the few days that you've actually been around. We typically have to crawl to find ourselves. Our philosophies harden over time and our spines become straighter, even as we find that we get more emotional with movies and books. We cry easier and we sometimes find that we smile less. We've absorbed and we've allowed our skin to slacken to make for all of the collected contents. We become less afraid and more fearful of the possibilities, if that makes any sense. We become less afraid to be in love, but more cautious of the act. If we're lucky, we will gain the kind of countenance that L.D. Brown, or Grey Reverend, has achieved. You will see life as ragged and still soft enough. You'll find that -- if you're being honest with yourself -- you're the same way. Brown writes heartbreaking songs about sinister thoughts, but as if they were delivered by birds. They seek understanding of wayward dreams and relationships that have rotted from the inside out.