Member Spotlight—Cliff Lau
Cliff Lau is a father of two (and a half—baby on the way!), works in healthcare for the city, and has lived in San Francisco (most recently) for eight years.
How long have you been in the city? Tell us a little about your journey.
I’ve been in SF for the past eight years but also grew up here. After residency, I ended up back in SF, my own backyard, to work in the Tenderloin at San Francisco City Impact. Because my faith is central to how I live my life, I believed that this was no coincidence.
I never expected to come back to San Francisco, much less give up a lot of my specialized training to serve my unhoused neighbors in the city. However, through this experience, I grew in other ways. While working in the Tenderloin, my heart was bursting with love for my patients and my understanding of faith was stretched; I also met my wife here.
How many steps are you away from Tillage?
Oh, about 10,000.
What does a typical day or week look like for you, and how has Tillage become a part of that routine?
Work during the day, meet my kids at the door when I come home, and after they’re asleep I need to get out of the house—which is where Tillage comes in. I can think, I can pray, I can read, write, and journal. And I grab a free drink.
Where’s your favorite spot at Tillage?
I like the innermost table in the library, facing the street, so that I can see what’s going on outside but also stay hidden in the back. I also like the cushy chairs near the bookshelves.
What drew you to Tillage, and what have you enjoyed about being part of the community so far?
I overdid it at City Impact and felt burnt out from being too involved. Then I went through a phase of being reclusive, which coincided with COVID and having two babies. Now I feel ready to be back in community, and I’m both finding myself again and rediscovering the city.
I am always looking for quiet places to write and journal, and Tillage is perfect for that. I have a secret dream of wanting to write a book.
What does being a community member mean to you?
I enjoy having serendipitous conversations with people, which is bound to happen in common spaces like Tillage. When I was there a few nights ago, I had a conversation with Jamin about how being at Twin Peaks is a metaphor for (well, you should just ask him)—sometimes you can see for 50 miles and sometimes you can barely see 50 feet in front of you. These unexpected situations are a real joy.
What’s one local spot you couldn’t live without, and what’s one memory you’ve made there?
I like to walk through the northwest corner of Golden Gate Park near the Bison Paddock. I try to walk home from church a couple of times a month in silence—I can just be.
