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We're exploring the ways we find and bring joy into our lives. It’s about the things we do not because it’s a job or a necessity, but simply because we love to do them.

This Is My Thing: Metal Detecting!

Mitch London, of the Austin Metal Detecting Club, poses for a portrait on Oct. 10, 2024, at Pease Park. Michael Minasi / KUT News
Mitch London, of the Austin Metal Detecting Club, poses for a portrait on Oct. 10, 2024, at Pease Park. Michael Minasi / KUT News

It’s episode number eleven of This Is My Thing and we are continuing our mission to talk with people about the things they do just for themselves – not because it’s their job and not because it’s a responsibility, just because they love to do it. The stuff you do because it’s your thing. With this episode, we’re going back to the show’s beginnings; this was one of the earliest interviews we recorded, way back when This Is My Thing was just an idea for a show that we were hoping would make it onto the airwaves someday. It took a little while, but we’re happy to bring it to you now.

On this episode of This Is My Thing, we’re talking with Mitch London about his love for metal detecting. For Mitch, it’s a hobby born out of another hobby – he was already a coin collector when, a few years ago, he was introduced to metal detecting as a way to search for rare coins. Now he also uses his skills to help strangers find meaningful (metal) objects they’ve lost.

On this page, you can listen to the on-air version of Mitch’s story, but if you check out the KUT News Now podcast feed, you’ll find a much longer version of this piece.

We’ve talked to a lot of other people about their things and those stories will be coming in future weeks. You’ll hear from a guy who plays bike polo, a woman who found her creative spark through fingernail art, and more. Stay tuned!

And we want to hear from you about the thing you do just because you love it! You’ll find an online form a little lower on this page where you can tell us about the thing that brings you joy, calms your mind, or feeds your soul in some way.

 

 

Mike is the production director at KUT, where he’s been working since his days as an English major at the University of Texas. He produces and hosts This Is My Thing and Arts Eclectic, and also produces Get Involved and the Sonic ID project. When pressed to do so, he’ll write short paragraphs about himself in the third person, but usually prefers not to.