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How P.E.I.’s Lyndsey Paynter became friends with Ohio’s Lyndsey Paynter
After months of talking online, two strangers with a unique connection finally met this weekend in P.E.I.The Lyndsey Paynter on the left is from Long River P.E.I. The Lyndsey Paynter on the right is from Cincinnati, Ohio. (Isabella Zavarise/CBC)An Island woman met her namesake this weekend after a serendipitous moment online. Lyndsey Paynter from Long…
After months of talking online, two strangers with a unique connection finally met this weekend in P.E.I.
An Island woman met her namesake this weekend after a serendipitous moment online.
Lyndsey Paynter from Long River, P.E.I., recalls mistakenly getting her profile tagged in a post on Instagram.
“I was like, ‘This is not for me'. So I wrote on it ‘wrong chick,'” she said.
But that wasn't the end of it.
“Her now husband writes back, ‘So my fiancee's name is also Lyndsey Paynter and she's also an artist and you should probably join forces somehow.'”
It turns out Lyndsey Paynter from Kentucky, Ohio, spells her name identically to her Canadian counterpart.
‘We like to call it Linception'
After the online incident, the two became friends — an event they now refer to as “friendship at first Instagram direct message.”
They began to communicate over Instagram and eventually started using FaceTime as they discovered they had a lot more in common than just their names.
“We both like Marvel, we're into like fantasy and science fiction books,” said Paynter from P.E.I.
“When we were chatting, we both had tickets to go to the premiere of Avengers End Game,” she said.
They said they hit it off instantly, sharing similar senses of humour and their love of art.
After eight months of talking, they decided it was time to meet in person.
The Kentucky-born Paynter drove more than 20 hours to see her new Island friend. She has begun her visit and will stay until Thursday.
“It was almost like we had never been apart,” she said.
“We like to call it Linception,” said P.E.I.'s Paynter.
Plans to meet again
To prepare for her arrival, Paynter stocked up on Canadian snacks and books. They plan to explore the Island and work on their art.
The American Paynter said she credits the unique encounter to social media and said the two have plans to meet again soon.
“I feel like in this age … almost anything happens,” she said.
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