In this episode of 7 Minute Stories, Aaron tells the story of a broken gumball machine, a chance driveway encounter, and a man who chose to live by an "unusual" philosophy...

What begins as a simple attempt to clean out the garage turns into a conversation about boxes — the ones we live in, the ones we work in, and the ones we may spend our lives trying to escape.

It’s a short story about freedom, sacrifice, and the unexpected teachers we meet when we think we’re just throwing something away.

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🌙 If you like 7MS, make sure you follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Night Stories LIVE! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠— Aaron’s late-night radio show where he shares new stories and talks with special guests in real time. Streamed live Thursdays @ 9:30PM EST on ⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠ and now delivered as ⁠⁠⁠a podcast on-demand⁠⁠⁠!

📖 If you like 7 Minute Stories, you’ll love⁠ Stories in a Snap⁠ — a weekly series of short, written stories by Aaron, adapted directly from the podcast. Each piece begins as a story told out loud and is reshaped for the page, so you can read it in just a few minutes.

📬 Join the⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 7 Minute Stories Newsletter!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ It only goes out 4–6 times a year — short, sweet, and packed with value. Get exclusive bonus content, behind-the-scenes stories, and invites to special remote events, delivered straight to your inbox.

Story created & performed by: Aaron Calafato

Senior Audio Engineer:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ken Wendt ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Additional vocals: Cori Calafato

Artist in Residence: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pete Whitehead ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Original Theme Music: thomas j. duke

Additional Soundscape Design:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Isaac Gehring & Story Sounds Media LLC ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Special Thanks:

Rob Montague Jr

Kyle McCarthy

Dania Khalife

What happens when survival means living your entire life in total isolation? Drawing from Interstellar, Aaron Calafato steps into the mind of Dr. Mann, an astronaut marooned on a frozen planet, and examines the fear, temptation, and moral cost of wanting to be saved. A personal story about loneliness, choice, and the human need for other people.

🌙 If you like 7MS, make sure you follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Night Stories LIVE! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠— Aaron’s late-night radio show where he shares new stories and talks with special guests in real time. Streamed live Thursdays @ 9:30PM EST on ⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠ and now delivered as ⁠⁠a podcast on-demand⁠⁠!

📖 If you like 7 Minute Stories, you’ll love Stories in a Snap — a weekly series of short, written stories by Aaron, adapted directly from the podcast. Each piece begins as a story told out loud and is reshaped for the page, so you can read it in just a few minutes.

📬 Join the⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 7 Minute Stories Newsletter!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ It only goes out 4–6 times a year — short, sweet, and packed with value. Get exclusive bonus content, behind-the-scenes stories, and invites to special remote events, delivered straight to your inbox.

Story created & performed by: Aaron Calafato

Senior Audio Engineer:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ken Wendt ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Additional vocals: Cori Calafato

Artist in Residence: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pete Whitehead ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Original Theme Music: thomas j. duke

Additional Soundscape Design:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Isaac Gehring & Story Sounds Media LLC ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Special Thanks:

Rob Montague Jr

Kyle McCarthy

Dania Khalife

A GoFundMe is started for the actor Mickey Rourke, and the internet responds as it so often does. Reading the comments anonymously, Aaron discovers something rather unexpected, especially given the state of 2026. What unfolds isn’t really a story about a fundraiser or a public figure shaped by past and perception. It’s a meditation on people, and the quiet hope that lingers when someone is seen in need.

*Poster Art Jim Harris Designs

📻 If you like 7MS, make sure you follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Night Stories LIVE! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠— Aaron’s late-night radio show where he shares new stories and talks with special guests in real time. Streamed live Thursdays @ 9:30PM EST on ⁠YouTube⁠ and now delivered as ⁠a podcast on-demand⁠!

📬 Join the⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 7 Minute Stories Newsletter!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ It only goes out 4–6 times a year — short, sweet, and packed with value. Get exclusive bonus content, behind-the-scenes stories, and invites to special remote events, delivered straight to your inbox.

Story created & performed by: Aaron Calafato

Senior Audio Engineer:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ken Wendt ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Additional vocals: Cori Calafato

Artist in Residence: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pete Whitehead ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Original Theme Music: thomas j. duke

Additional Soundscape Design:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Isaac Gehring & Story Sounds Media LLC ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Special Thanks:

Rob Montague Jr

Kyle McCarthy

Dania Khalife

This is this January's bonus episode of Short Stories of Hope. In this story, Aaron shares a quiet and unexpected moment centered on a woman on the edge of hunger and a small restaurant in New Jersey that becomes an unlikely turning point. What makes the moment even more surprising is the person who helps set it in motion, someone you’d expect to see under arena lights at a rock concert, not connected to an act of everyday generosity. It is a story about dignity, timing, and the small human gestures that can restore hope when it feels nearly out of reach.

Created, Performed & Produced by ⁠⁠Aaron Calafato⁠⁠

*Additional sounds on cleared list and used with paid license via artlist.io

In this episode of 7 Minute Stories, Aaron revisits the last conversation he ever had with his pediatrician, a moment that left him angry, insecure, and determined to prove someone else wrong. What follows is a teenage experiment fueled by insecurity, chocolate milkshakes, and the belief that changing the body might fix everything else. Years later, Aaron reflects on what actually changed and what didn’t. It’s a story about growth, certainty, and the quiet realization that some answers can’t be measured on a chart.

📻 If you like 7MS, make sure you follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Night Stories LIVE! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠— Aaron’s late-night radio show where he shares new stories and talks with special guests in real time. Streamed live Thursdays @ 9:30PM EST on ⁠YouTube⁠ and now delivered as ⁠a podcast on-demand⁠!

📬 Join the⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 7 Minute Stories Newsletter!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ It only goes out 4–6 times a year — short, sweet, and packed with value. Get exclusive bonus content, behind-the-scenes stories, and invites to special remote events, delivered straight to your inbox.

Story created & performed by: Aaron Calafato

Senior Audio Engineer:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ken Wendt ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Additional vocals: Cori Calafato

Artist in Residence: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pete Whitehead ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Original Theme Music: thomas j. duke

Additional Soundscape Design:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Isaac Gehring & Story Sounds Media LLC ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Special Thanks:

Rob Montague Jr

Kyle McCarthy

Dania Khalife

Every Christmas, a short story makes its return—one without a known author, but with a lasting impact. The Man and the Birds was famously shared each holiday season by Paul Harvey on the radio, and for years, it’s become an annual tradition on 7 Minute Stories.

In this special holiday episode, Aaron revisits the quiet, timeless parable about belief, humility, and what it means to truly see one another. Recorded live during Night Stories Live! this retelling invites listeners to slow down, listen closely, and carry a simple truth with them into Christmas.

A story passed hand to hand, voice to voice—now shared once again.

📱Try not to doom scroll, but if you do, at least scroll through Aaron’s micro shorts called ⁠⁠⁠7MS Haikus⁠⁠⁠.

📬 Join the⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 7 Minute Stories Newsletter!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ It only goes out 4–6 times a year — short, sweet, and packed with value. Get exclusive bonus content, behind-the-scenes stories, and invites to special remote events, delivered straight to your inbox.

Story created & performed by: Aaron Calafato

Senior Audio Engineer:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ken Wendt ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Additional vocals: Cori Calafato

Artist in Residence: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pete Whitehead ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Original Theme Music: thomas j. duke

Additional Soundscape Design:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Isaac Gehring & Story Sounds Media LLC ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Special Thanks:

Rob Montague Jr

Kyle McCarthy

Dania Khalife

In this Storytelling University bonus episode, Aaron sits down with John Telich, who spent four decades shaping how Northeast Ohio experienced sports on television. Together, they explore the quiet craft behind covering wins, losses, heartbreak, and hope—and why sports stories, at their best, are rarely just about the score.

*Special thanks to the Medina UCC for hosting!

*Learn more about the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame

*Follow John Telich on X

The Storytelling University is part of the 7 Minute Stories Universe

Created & Produced by Aaron Calafato & Brooks Borden

1. Follow the pod wherever you're listening

2. Tap 5 Stars

3. Text one person you love a link to your favorite episode.

As the year comes to a close, Aaron returns to a childhood memory sparked by The Polar Express—a quiet library, falling snow, and a sound he still can’t explain. What begins as a story about believing in Santa becomes something larger: a reflection on why belief itself is real, necessary, and enduring. Through a timeless response to an 8-year-old’s question published in The New York Sun, this episode explores why the most important things in life may exist beyond what we can see.

“Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus”

Music

📻 If you like 7MS, make sure you follow ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Night Stories LIVE! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠— Aaron’s late-night radio show where he shares new stories and talks with special guests in real time. Streamed live Thursdays @ 9:30PM EST on YouTube and now delivered as a podcast on-demand!

📬 Join the⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 7 Minute Stories Newsletter!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ It only goes out 4–6 times a year — short, sweet, and packed with value. Get exclusive bonus content, behind-the-scenes stories, and invites to special remote events, delivered straight to your inbox.

Story created & performed by: Aaron Calafato

Senior Audio Engineer:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Ken Wendt ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Additional vocals: Cori Calafato

Artist in Residence: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Pete Whitehead ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Original Theme Music: thomas j. duke

Additional Soundscape Design:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Isaac Gehring & Story Sounds Media LLC ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Special Thanks:

Rob Montague Jr

Kyle McCarthy

Dania Khalife

It’s Christmas Eve, 1987, and a 4-year-old Aaron suddenly realizes he has nothing to give. No money, no store to run to, and a desperate need to feel part of the Christmas magic. What follows involves a Glow Worm toy, a stash of odd “treasures,” and two parents who choose wonder over reality. This is the story of how a child’s small act of giving kept the magic alive and saved Christmas in the most unexpected way.

This is December’s bonus episode of Short Stories of Hope. In this month’s story, Aaron shares the quiet and powerful tale of the Wind Phone in Ochi, Japan, and the man who placed a silent rotary phone on a hillside for anyone carrying words they never had the chance to say. It is a story about grief, healing, and the small human acts that help us keep moving toward hope.

Created, Performed & Produced by ⁠Aaron Calafato⁠

*⁠Learn more about the person or place embodying this month's Short Story of Hope⁠