Top 10 Essays on Waiting: The Best Prose on Longing

I miss you terribly on the days we’re apart. The longing grows stronger each day until I realize my heart has been completely taken by you. Like many girls, I wanted to give you the right to say those three sacred words, so I sat still, waiting. But you didn’t do it. I waited in vain. Many people told me, “You’re too proud!” And I accepted it silently. But doesn’t love mean honesty? Why should I bow to those who are only friends or companions to me? Time passed, and even after graduation, I still felt incomplete, like a mismatched pair of shoes, waiting for the other half. Then one day, I met you at a gallery where I worked. Tall and thin with a face that didn’t appeal to me at all, you didn’t immediately win my affection. But you were kind (I didn’t admit this until much later, after working with you for a while). You cared about me in every little thing, but I was indifferent. You offered to give me a ride, but I declined. I remained aloof to your genuine feelings. Eventually, I changed jobs, and you cried. On my first day at the new job, I walked out the door to find you waiting there, as if you had been there for hours. Sitting behind you, I felt a sense of happiness and pride. A month passed without you coming or calling, and I wondered, “Where did you go?” I missed you so much that I dialed your number. Your voice came through the phone, “Did you miss me?” I quickly responded, “Not in a million years...” Time passed peacefully until I was fired. Hot tears streamed down my face. Hearing my sobs, you dropped everything and came looking for me. I had wished so much for you to be there, just to let me cry on your shoulder. But when you arrived, my eyes were dry. “I’m fine,” I quickly said when you asked. You left, and I was alone again, crying. I still miss you deeply on the days we're apart. The longing grows stronger, until one day I realize my heart has been taken by you. Like many girls, I wanted to give you the right to say those three sacred words, so I waited in vain. You didn’t come on Valentine’s Day. Days passed meaninglessly. My innocent, small heart now bears a wound. I go to work, then bury my face in my pillow at night and cry. My friends tell me, “Forget him.” I nod. The phone rings, and I open a message from you: “How are you? I’ve loved you so much. That’s the truth. And I know you don’t really love me… I know you hate me. But I hate myself as much as you hate me. I didn’t dare fight for the one I loved.” Tears slowly rolled down my cheeks. I sat there until morning, then went to work with swollen eyes. Now, I still go to work every day. You do too, I know. I also know you’re just on the other side of the lake, while I’m here. So close, yet so far. In the middle of the city streets.
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At times, in our moments of vulnerability, we imagine that one day, someone will appear to fill the voids we have suffered from.

Sometimes, we come across romantic stories online about someone waiting for us at the end of the road.

In our fragile moments, we still hope that someone will appear, to heal the wounds we’ve endured over time.

Sometimes, we still see ourselves as royalty, believing that the distant palaces are waiting for our footsteps to leave an imprint.

Sometimes, we convince ourselves that we deserve more than what we have, especially when we compare ourselves to others’ pursuits in the present. We begin to think that we are “the treasures of life.”

The life of a person is merely a continuous extension of a breath. If it stops abruptly, it becomes difficult to continue living healthily. If it fades completely, then it’s time for farewell.

Similarly, our lives are just an accumulation of moments. It is the morning, noon, afternoon, and evening of each day. It’s the moments before, during, and after meeting someone. It is the moments from yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Apologies for the harsh truth, but a flower will never attract bees if it doesn’t exude fragrance! Yet, to truly appreciate the beauty of a flower, it’s not just about its scent.

It’s also about its shape, color, purity, and even the unique qualities it carries among thousands of flowers in a garden, with both fragrant and wild ones.

But flowers eventually wither. It is the fruit that follows which carries the true value, representing the meaning of a life’s creation.

If your youthful years were spent in endless nights at cafes or boba shops, staring at the bright screens of your phone, sighing at a life that has never been fair to you, mocking those you feel are “luckier,” then what do you have left to deserve the person you are waiting for?

If each day you live building illusions that you lack nothing, only needing a person to understand all of these things, a person created for you with perfect looks, personality, talents, and social status.

Such fantasies are the simplest way to destroy one’s will to live.

Do not look at barren land and assume it does nothing. If only you knew that every day it must endure the sun, rain, wind, snow, and salt. It must welcome all types of insects and harmful microorganisms.

It endures dry days and muddy waters. And beneath that land, it’s constantly gathering nutrients, preparing for the day when the plow will come, turning the soil for a fruitful harvest.

When someone comes into your life, are you only able to offer them a glass of water or pull up a chair and ask, “Why do we have so many stories waiting to be told?”

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Waiting is when you tell someone you're not ready for love, yet they stay patiently by your side, caring for you, loving you, and supporting you.

It's waiting until your wounds heal, your frozen emotions thaw, and you open your heart to embrace their love.

Waiting is when they keep giving even after you reject them, offering love without expecting anything in return, silently striving to improve themselves for you.

Waiting is when you say you’ll be far away for a long time, but they endure the loneliness, the sorrow, and the longing, finding joy just in seeing you through a screen, hearing your voice through a phone, hoping for the day you'll be together again.

And waiting is when you say you want to leave, and they try to hold on, but when they realize they can't, they silently endure the passing days and months.

All that time, their love for you doesn't fade. They still remember you. Without realizing it, they continue waiting for the day you'll return.

So, has anyone ever waited for you? Even after you told them not to wait?

Life is short. Don’t make anyone wait for you, and don’t wait for anyone. If you're single, try loving someone because if you don’t love anyone else, don’t expect love to come to you.

If you and your partner must be apart for a while, it's okay to wait if you want, but don’t ask them to wait for you too.

Someone who says they love you may not yet love you deeply. But someone who can wait for you, loves you deeply. They’ll ignore others, stay unmoved by anyone else, because their heart belongs only to you...

When you love someone, you must trust them, and help them understand that they must trust you too. If either of you doesn’t trust the other, it’s time to end the relationship. Be clear and decisive.

In the end, I ask again, has anyone ever waited for you?

Thiên Di

Sometimes, we stubbornly love, stubbornly wait, even stubbornly hope, allowing our hearts to feel those agonizing pains again without knowing what tomorrow may bring...

Sometimes, we chase a love that we know won’t lead to anything. It feels so illogical, doesn’t it? It’s like knowing you’re waiting at the wrong station, but still, you wait. From the outside, people may laugh and think we’re living in a fantasy, clueless and deluded. But for us, those little moments, even the lightest breeze from someone, feel warm, even joyful.

Love with no future is something no one is truly brave enough to face. We often feel weak because we follow illusions and the fantasies our hearts create, tiring ourselves out in the process.

In life, few people can truly predict the future, but sometimes in love, we do know what’s ahead. When you love someone deeply, and they love you back, but after analyzing the situation from every angle, you realize that you and they are fundamentally incompatible. Different places, different backgrounds, their family and yours simply don’t match...

Then there’s the one-sided love, too. You love someone, even though they don’t feel the same. The love that starts from just one person – lonely, isolated. And sometimes, just a fleeting smile from them, not even directed at you, is enough to fill your heart with joy. But over time, this lingering emotion will only cause more pain.

But still, we stubbornly love, stubbornly wait, and stubbornly hope, allowing our hearts to ache once more.

Sometimes, we find ourselves in love, knowing our parents will object, yet we continue loving, protecting, and going through life’s storms together. But one day, we realize we’ve loved too much, only to face opposition from both families – age, social status, family differences. Eventually, we break up, and it hurts so much because we’ve become so familiar with their voice, their laughter. How can we simply let go?

Sometimes, stubborn love makes our hearts feel joyful again – not because we don’t know what the future holds, but because we’re not brave enough to let go of a feeling that’s been growing inside us for so long. Or maybe it’s because right now, in this moment, there’s no other joy than that person, no happiness other than their messages, their little check-ins. It feels like a drug pulling us deeper into this dreamy, blurry whirlpool of love.

In the end, we cause our own pain. But how many people outside truly understand what we’re going through? They judge us from one side, and yet we shouldn’t care about that. As long as our hearts feel the love and hear the laughter, that’s all that matters. And if, in the end, there’s pain, we’ll accept it because we knew, deep down, that this would lead to nothing.

This is love: we endure the pain, accept the hurt… only to one day look back at this love that’s now just ashes from October.

Hải Văn

It's not that I'm attached to the single life, but because I've already given all my love to just one person in my heart. For them, I willingly walk through life alone.

In the midst of a noisy, bustling city at night, there are times when I spot a girl strolling down the street, alone with just her headphones, or even nothing at all. The pale streetlights cast long shadows of her on the ground, and that’s her only companion. I'm so familiar with this feeling, wandering alone through the city, reflecting on random, disjointed thoughts. I know loneliness too well, and it stings when I see couples walking hand in hand. Yet, I’m not bothered by it, because I’m ready to spend my whole life waiting for that one person, and I endure loneliness just for them.

I'm single, simply because I’m still attached to someone—someone I want to wait for, someone I believe is worth waiting for. If we can’t end up together, I’d rather stay alone with my loneliness, side by side with solitude.

I’m single, not because I don't seek happiness in love, nor because I lack romantic feelings. I choose to live alone for this one person. I thought that if I patiently wait and endure the pain of loneliness, one day, I will be rewarded with their sincere love. The moments of feeling down are fleeting, like clouds passing by in an instant.

I'm single, not because no one loves me or is interested in me. I turn them down, draw clear boundaries the moment I sense they’re becoming attached. I don’t want to casually settle for a relationship that lacks true emotion just to end my solitary life. For him, even if I lose many relationships and let go of many good people, I have no regrets.

I’m single because I’m too stubborn. I long for him to understand my feelings, accept me, and stay by my side. In my heart, I hold on to the belief that the love that makes me wait is the truest and most valuable love. A love that’s survived through challenges and distance; once I hold it, I’ll never easily let it go.

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My friend once said that no girl is happy when she sees the one she loves with someone else. Girls are all selfish.

"There are people we meet and forget
And there are those we can never forget
Who will I be? Who will you be in each other's lives...?”

When I was younger, I loved hearing stories about princes and princesses, wrapping myself in a blanket and imagining I was the beautiful princess. I believed that somewhere out there in this world, someone was waiting to meet me and bring me happiness. Perhaps this belief made me smile more often.

Then I met someone who resembled that person. I couldn’t be sure if this would be the person I would spend my whole life with. This person cared for me, worried about me. And I... was still too immature! I let this person go when the relationship started to get boring. I didn’t try to hold on, nor did I make any promises. To me, it was simple: when one door closes, another opens. I didn’t keep anything that reminded me of that person, like gifts, photos, shared memories... I stored them away and locked them up. Whenever someone mentioned that person, I didn’t feel uncomfortable, just smiled and responded. I still kept a beautiful image of that person in my heart, but in a hidden corner. This kept my life balanced, not feeling like I was missing anything. I had deceived myself for a long time like this!

I kept my heart open to other guys. My friends often said that it wasn’t greedy, but giving myself the right to choose. But I didn’t choose anyone. Each person who came into my life, no matter their role or how they cared for me, I cherished. But at some point, I unintentionally hurt them. I still believe that even without love, we can still be friends. But most of them didn’t feel the same and chose to end it.

Through all these months, one day I suddenly realized a painful truth that made me cry. The person was still around me, their laughter and voice echoing in my ears as I went to class, did my homework, or rode my bike home... Whenever I visited their Facebook page, their pictures gave me a sense of familiarity, and my heart warmed. I missed them, it hurt, but sometimes I smiled because I didn’t expect myself to be so ‘infatuated’.

I once hoped that the person over there would find someone truly good, better than me, someone who could listen, share, and care for them, someone who would be by their side through the years away from home. I imagined their happy smile, and I allowed myself to think that if they were happy, I would also be happy in my own way. My friend said no girl can be happy seeing the one she loves with someone else, that all girls are selfish. Perhaps that’s true, but at this moment, maybe my selfishness is still too small, and if I can control it, I’ll suppress it so it doesn’t bother them or cause me pain.

I can still love them in this way, quietly remembering them. As long as I find happiness! I don’t really believe that I will remember them forever, maybe after a few years, I will forget them, or if they return, I’ll still be waiting...

I allow myself a bit of selfishness, to keep that image in peace in my heart...

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Some believe that life has no room for waiting, that waiting isn’t a solution and can even cause more suffering.

But others argue that even though waiting seems hopeless, it’s still worth it. Because, in some ways, if we have faith, waiting is also a form of hope.

Life is about... waiting!

Our lives are always in a rush, bustling with activity. Why is life so hurried? It’s simply because we, as individuals, are rushing. You, I, and all of us make up life.

Everyone says: "Living means not waiting"! But is it really possible to live without waiting? I once read in a book: "Not waiting is not being human!"

Waiting is about caring for oneself and others!

Thousands of students wait for 12 years or more just to face two stressful days of exams. Parents wait for their children for the same period. There are traffic jams, delays, but we patiently inch forward, hoping nothing bad happens to our loved ones...

Waiting is about respecting each other!

In family life, sometimes parents are angry, even scolding their children. Instead of running away, the children stay and wait for the anger to pass, sitting down to talk with their parents. Similarly, when children speak out of anger, parents wait for their children to calm down and then sit beside them.

Waiting is sacrifice, it’s love!

Those who love each other, separated by distances and wars. Women stay at home, raising children, waiting for peace to return, waiting for their loved ones to come back.

So why say living means not waiting? Without waiting, love would never be complete.

Waiting is love, it’s about nurturing life!

Young plants grow under the nurturing soil, not rushed. The winds wait day by day, the dew waits night by night.

Not knowing how to wait is not being human!

If anyone has read "The River Story" by Hermann Hesse, they will understand why Siddhartha could overcome all difficulties—because of three abilities: to think, to endure hunger, and to wait.

Thinking helps us differentiate right from wrong, real from fake, temporary from lasting.

Enduring hunger prevents us from being tricked by it, from consuming poison or waste.

Waiting prevents us from falling into traps of greed, anger, or haste that would lead us to mistakes.

Ultimately, all three are about knowing how to wait: Thinking is the waiting of the mind, not rushing to conclusions but waiting for all the evidence. Enduring hunger is the waiting of the body, knowing how to resist temptation. Those who survive know how to wait and endure.

To be human is to know how to wait!

Yes, my friends! The most fascinating thing about life is that we cannot predict the future, so we cannot say whether our waiting is in vain or a miracle. But one thing I want you to remember is this... Living means knowing when to slow down, when to wait, but also when to run!

Truong Tuyet

I remember the opening ceremony that day, it was a sunny day. We were all seventeen, but today we are not. The clouds still drift in the same direction, but the people from the past never return. In the familiar space, everything suddenly feels strange because in front of me are unfamiliar faces. A year ago, we were all still in school together, united by the simple thought that we had not yet left high school.

After a year since the final opening ceremony, I returned to that old place, remembering someone. But that person did not return, nor did they ever carry my image in their mind. Walking through the old campus or along the familiar hallways triggered so many unspoken emotions.

Maybe it’s because youth is where unfinished loves linger, or because the courage of a grown person never truly existed in a child’s heart, leaving some of us unable to even say the final goodbye. Or perhaps the sincerity we once had never touched each other? Even if it did, would we have stopped, looked into each other’s eyes, and walked the same path?

Love is not like a bus ride you wait for every morning. If you miss this one, you simply wait for the next. But love, missing it means losing it forever, never to be caught up with again. You have every right to regret not catching the bus that just passed by, and the driver of the next one will never know how deeply you regret it. Some things must be kept in your heart, locked away, and thinking of them only brings more longing.

And just like many other laws of life, love doesn’t just appear and disappear—it shifts from one person to another. The one I once waited for may never turn back, yet I stubbornly hold on. Because not waiting doesn’t spare you from the pain—it only leaves emptiness behind. That emptiness hurts much more. When the one I once waited for looks at someone else with loving eyes, it’s not me. It hurts terribly, but silence is more bearable than shouting to the world. Life contains immutable laws and unexpected exceptions. Because we can feel, we suffer, but without that perception, would we feel any happier?

“He,” a term that many people mention with a smile or a brief silence. The one I once waited for will always be a “he” filled with secrets in my heart. But it seems this secret will never be revealed, or perhaps it’s safely hidden behind wounds I brought upon myself.

Questions lose their value over time. Because at certain moments, only the right answers matter. As time passes, it’s better to keep them to yourself. Now, he’s not for me, just like he never was in the past. So in the end, it’s all about me thinking about things that don’t matter.

On a crisp autumn day, I may have stopped longing for the one I once waited for. But I’ll never forget how I changed for him during that time.

Natie Truong

Life is too short for endless waiting and unfulfilled promises. The anticipation that never ends only leaves behind silent yearning, a hollow ache that deepens in the heart. Silence upon silence stretches out as days pass by, devoid of complaints or regrets. Only the heart knows, still beating with an unwavering rhythm in the loneliness of love, growing weary with time.

You promised a few times, and I waited innocently, hoping. Time passed, but did you ever remember? I silently moved past the things you forgot, gently rocking myself to sleep in the quiet nights, no longer holding onto the words you once spoke. I let myself drift into a long, solitary dream. When you, in moments of joy, made promises that pleased me, I knew full well that those words had little chance of becoming reality, yet I couldn't help but feel a flutter of happiness. Though I knew there was no reason to cling to them, how could I stop my heart from feeling joy, from hoping for a happiness that was never meant to be? Like everyone else, I too feel love, longing, and sorrow. You speak, then forget. You promise, then move on. In the end, it's only I who hold onto the sweet memories, even though they never come to fruition. When I still longed for the words of the past, you had already forgotten them, lost in your own happiness. You don't care about your words anymore. But I don't blame you, I don't carry the burden of regret. I know that's how life is, so I don’t dwell on it. While you speak, I already know it’s unlikely to happen. But I smile, I show joy, so you can feel at ease. You believe I won't be upset, that I’m easily satisfied with small joys. Yes, small joys.

And so, you forget me when you’re happy, leave me behind when you're lost in your own delight, while I remain abandoned, forgotten so easily. It’s all too easy, really.

Life is not for waiting. I too move forward, walking a path chosen without you. You didn’t want me to leave, you wanted me to stay. Was it selfish, that only you had the right to leave love behind, to forget promises, and abandon someone who still lives in this world?

Where I go, I don't make promises to anyone, I choose my own way, so how could I be leaving or forgetting anyone? I don’t even blame you for forgetting me. You forget me as though I belong to a place that never existed. But is it fair to me?

So I don't blame you, I don’t hold onto anger, no bitterness. It’s always been like this, just like it is with you and me. We were never meant for more, but sometimes, there will be moments of longing. I don’t know what parts of me have faded away, or what has replaced them. Perhaps the waiting and longing that once filled me are now carefully locked away in a secret corner of my heart. All that's left now is peace, calm, with no regrets. Though sometimes, I wish I could feel anger towards you. Yet, those feelings of resentment and frustration are nowhere to be found anymore. Maybe in the endless waiting, they’ve turned to dust.

Once, I forgot, and in return, the words that once held meaning were carried away by the wind, far, far away, to where I can't reach them...

Carmen

"Turns out long-distance love has never been easy, I was foolish to trust the empty promises of someone so indifferent."

On an early April day, I received a message from my sister telling me her partner had left her. Breakups and reconciliations are nothing new, but this one truly surprised me and left me a little shaken.

She and her partner had been together for six years, three of which they lived together, and the other three were spent apart. During the time apart, I was impressed by him. Every year, on the 29th and 30th of Tet, he made sure to come back to Vietnam to celebrate with his family and her. He mostly spent time with my sister, and I could feel their love for each other, which made me trust him. But on that day, I began to understand more. Real love only survives in brief moments, nothing lasts forever.

During his years in Japan, balancing work and school, it seemed that hardship slowly dimmed his feelings. The reason for the breakup was simple: he had found someone else. Not that he loved someone else, but that someone else appeared in his life. He explained that after losing all his money and belongings, a girl from his hometown helped him, and out of gratitude, he couldn't let her down. Was it truly a love story turned comical?

Now, who can we blame? Between someone who sacrifices and waits, and someone who finds someone to help them, in the end, the person you choose is the one you owe. Does the world really teach us to repay a favor by forcing ourselves to love someone? No, it's because you were foolish to do so.

Long-distance couples breaking up is nothing unusual, but when it happens to these two, it's truly unfortunate. The carefree girl from years ago now has to hide the unimaginable pain, the heartbreaks that will never truly heal. Back then, she insisted on waiting for him, hopelessly waiting for him to come back. Was it the pain that made her so? How long will it take before she can love again?

After the breakup, she struggled and suffered a lot. No matter where she went, no matter what she did, she couldn't forget him, couldn't focus. She missed the memories of the two of them, now only a part of her heart. As long as she could cry, it meant she still loved, but she feared that once she couldn't cry anymore, her fragile heart would have died.

When I received her heartfelt confession, I sat there listening as she cried. The truth is, I thought the best thing for her was to let her pick herself up from the wounds, even if my advice at that moment would be useless. From now on, she will still believe in love, but for someone new, and she will keep a quiet space just for herself. Love teaches us many things, after this experience, she will likely become stronger, more resilient, always ready to face whatever comes her way.

Everyone's youth is different. This time, her youth was not filled with happiness, but it will certainly bring peace in the end.

The one who wasn't strong enough, the one who was too profound.

Clean your heart and be strong.

Ha Nhien