"I took an arrow in the knee" was an old Norse saying to indicate that someone had gotten married. The arrow implies that one of the biggest decisions in one's life isn't necessarily made by choice.
Just after Furuya Sensei passed away, I was working with one of my older clients and was telling him about Sensei's death. I said, "Now, I have to take over the dojo." He stopped me and said, "No, you choose to take over the dojo." At the time I did not think I had a "choice" but today I understand that it is what I chose to do. We can be in control or we will be controlled.
Today, in an arguably more civilized society, we are free and thus have freedom of choice. What is choice? Choice is the ability to decide to empower ourselves with what it is we want. This empowerment begins by saying, "I choose to..."
Regardless of the situation or circumstance we can always "choose" how we internally address what is going on - we give it context. In Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, it is called re-framing. In Buddhism, it is called equanimity. In budo, it is called the non-abiding mind.
Today, we don't have to do anything but we do get to choose to do whatever we want. The choice is ours.