You are going to meet people on JDate. You are going to talk to the people you meet and, in some cases, you are going to have an extended interaction with them that leads to a date. In those cases, if you are like me, you’re going to get excited and eagerly anticipate that first meeting.

Depending on the particular situation, a first date might range from simply meeting for coffee to grabbing a nice dinner to even something more ambitious and unique like going to an exhibit or attending a concert. Even though each couple is going to make different choices regarding how they construct their first date, when it comes down to it, they’re meeting and that’s all really all that matters. Especially since getting to that first date isn’t always easy.

Many online conversations start out as promising but never seem to find exactly the right rhythm that keeps them going and elevates them to that next level. However, you can’t be deterred by this online dating inevitability (and others like it), and must stay the course by remaining active in trying to meet people. It is that attitude which ultimately makes that first meeting so fulfilling.

But what happens if the night before, or day of the big date, the other person cancels?

This scenario happened to me several times before I even went out on my “first” first date with someone I had met on JDate and I’ll be completely honest when I say it doesn’t feel good. No matter how legitimate the excuse sounds, no one likes to have the rug pulled out from under them, especially in a situation that they were looking forward to, and had put a lot of time and energy into setting up.

I’ve had women cancel on me for a variety of reasons, including having to babysit for friends, forgetting about a friend’s graduation they promised to attend, bad headaches and some others I can’t even remember anymore. However, in spite of the fact that some of these excuses were probably true, the point still remains that it sucks to be cancelled on.

Unfortunately having people break plans that you were excited about is a part of the online dating game and is, therefore, pretty much unavoidable. Putting up a profile on a dating website and thus proclaiming to the online dating community that you are single and looking to meet people is the first important step, but you need to stay committed and not dwell on the disappoints that pop up along the way. I promise when you finally get to that first date, and everything about it feels right and natural, you’ll be glad you didn’t let a few broken plans deter you from trying.