skeleton long-suffering relief

 The skeleton of a leaf gracefully flattened against the tarmac.

In Sainsbury's a pale woman closes her eyes and holds back her trolley as I inadvertently cross her path. Her expression suggests that such sacrifices of space and time are too frequent in her life. In a later encounter a shadow of a smile crosses her face, but her eyelids are still lowered.

With a sense of relief I read that the UK economy should be growing strongly by 2050. I simply can't wait.