The Secret of Contentment

“The Secret of Contentment”— Stoic Stoner Meditations on Philippians 4:12-13

Letter to the Corinthians by Paul

 “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.

I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation,

whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.”

— Paul’s letter to the Philippians (4:12–13)

Out here, parked in the liminal space between a busted ride and a fixed-up future, I light up this THCA pre-roll — the only legal consolation this dry county allows — and reflect on the kind of wisdom that doesn’t depend on circumstance.

This letter from Paul to the Philippians carries that mentor’s tone — deeply personal, forged in trial, and not afraid to whisper divine secrets like treasure maps for the soul.

Paul says he's learned the secret. Not downloaded it. Not inherited it. He learned it — through shipwrecks, stonings, imprisonments, and lean nights. Through having it all and losing it all. That’s experience talking. A Stoic would nod silently with a slow puff of their pipe, recognizing that kind of hard-won equanimity.

To be content regardless — that’s not apathy. That’s power.

Now, verse 13 — “I can do all this through Him who gives me strength” — it isn’t a boast. It’s a surrender. Not my strength. His. On loan. In proportion to need. Sometimes a flood. Sometimes a drop. But never absent.

And so I sit, grounded by circumstance, elevated by scripture. I could complain about my wheels being in the shop. I could curse the laws that let me sort of medicate but not fully. But nah... I’ve learned something too, even if I’ve got a long road ahead before I can say it like Paul did.

Right now? This THCA joint is enough.

I may not be floating in bliss, but I ain’t drowning either.

The Stones had it right too: You can't always get what you want...

But the Spirit? He’s gracious with what you need.

Smoke rings and gratitude,

—Stoic Stoner

🌀 Keep it lit. Keep it grounded.

🌿 And keep learning that secret... one hit, one hardship, one hallelujah at a time.